GENERAL POVOwen and his siblings returned to their room after the shocking announcement made by their mom. They closed the door and locked it up from within to have some privacy.Owen turned to his siblings at once, lowering his voice."Did you guys hear that? Mum is getting married; that doesn't sound right; I think she's hiding something from us."Isabella folded her arms and spoke next, with downcast eyes."Yes, I thought so too; she sounded so strange that I wanted to say something back there, but Nathan kept pinching me to stop."Nathan took a step forward, bowing his head slightly."Sorry, I had to do that; I just felt it wasn't the right time. I think she's trying to protect us from something. Didn't you guys notice her eyes? She looked like she was crying before we came in. Isn't she supposed to be happy getting married?"Owen hummed thoughtfully before he said,"You're right, Nate; she looked really sad.But what could she be protecting us from?" Owen questioned him further
GENERAL POVThe kids stood at their mother's doorpost as she lay sprawled and unconscious on her expansive bed.They could tell that the alcohol she had consumed was going to take her on another long, drowsy ride, probably longer than yesterday's siesta."It's going to take some time before she wakes up," Owen announced calmly, with tightened lips and folded arms."Yeah." Isabella concurred weakly."I guess this is our second chance."Nathan whispered, taking out his phone and gently locking up her room again.They returned to their room before Nathan dialed Joseph's number."Hello, sir, we're in luck; our coast is clear again."Can you please come pick us up?”"Hello, my boy. Oh yes, I'm available. Do you guys have the target this time?" Joseph inquired like he were an FBI agent, the way he had stressed the word target. Nathan struggled with a smile; the man seemed to be taking this mission of theirs more seriously than even them."Yes, sir, we have identified our target, and the pers
SOPHIE'S POVOn Saturday morning, I sat on my bed with a dead stare. My eyes were crimson red, and my phone was ringing beside me. The person calling was Carter, my so-called husband-to-be; this should be the eighth time he has called this morning. Our wedding was supposed to be in a few hours.I pushed my phone farther aside harshly, disgusted even by the sight of just his name on my screen.I inhaled with a bitter expression as I reflected on yesterday evening. Moments after I had woken up from the long alcohol-induced sleep I had fallen into, I tried checking through my phone randomly for some updates, only to come across a message I had received from an anonymous sender hours before then.When I clicked, I saw to my horror that it was an audio recording of Carter's voice, and he was telling whoever he was speaking with that he was marrying me just for sex and that he planned to divorce me a week after our wedding.The brokenness after listening to that was indescribable. It was a
SOPHIE’S POVI stood motionless, staring back at him with my mouth dumbstruck after his confession.He quickly glanced behind to see if the kids were listening, but they appeared to be so carried away by the game they were playing before I came in. They were always like that whenever he was around.Lucas tugged at my arm gently as he led me away from the sitting room, stopping at the narrow passage next to my bedroom."Sophie, let's be honest here; you know I'm the only one who can actually protect you and these kids.I've loved you since high school, and even now, after many years have gone by, what I feel for you has not changed. It is genuine love, Sophie. You know I cannot watch you lose those precious ones back there when I know I can help. Especially when it's something I've always wanted. Sophie, let's just embrace this.”I bowed my head slightly and meekly when he was done speaking. I would be lying to myself if I claimed not to notice Luca's affection for me right from the v
GENERAL POVAfter Lucas left the house, the kids decided to give an interval of 20 minutes max before calling Olivia; it had been almost an hour now since their mom left. When it was exactly 20 minutes, they proceeded to their room to make the call. They dialed Olivia's number and handed the phone to Isabella."Hi Auntie, we are all dressed up now and about to come; you will still be available to take us there, right?""About coming? Sure Yes, please start coming now; I'm available." She replied, sounding so excited on the phone."We will be right with you soon, Auntie," Isabella assured me before hanging up.After that conversation, the next person they called was Joseph.He replied that he would be with them shortly, and he even added that he had been expecting their call.It amused them the way Joseph had taken on this new job of his. With the new stuffy, straight-to-the-point tone he always assumed with them whenever the call was related to their mission, it appeared as if he had
ELLIOT’S POVI sat alone near the fireplace in my villa, sipping a cold glass of juice, allowing my mind to roam through the events of the day before.My mansion was the most secluded part of my estate; it was designed just the way I liked it—a spotless white mansion with grand doors and wood tones of beige and green. The furnishing was meek and arranged for cozy chats—very posh but not extravagant.I inhaled an abundant dosage of the fresh air that featured the cool afternoon as I let my mind settle finally on the event that happened at my parent's estate yesterday.I had gone to see my father after receiving a call from him, stating that he needed me around urgently, only to arrive there to meet a rude surprise waiting for me. Sitting with her legs crossed on one of the sofas in my parent's living room was nobody else but Olivia. My father was also seated on the opposite couch.After the initial bewilderment, my eyes glowed afresh with anger.“What the hell are you doing here?” I be
GENERAL POVIt was Sunday morning, and the kids were busy holding a low-toned discussion in their room. They had not anticipated the intensity with which Lucas had sent those hidden secrets flying about yesterday. He must have assumed they already knew all the many things he was revealing during his outrage; however, they were glad that his carelessness had been greatly helpful in filling up the many loopholes they had found difficult to unravel at the start of their mission. "I think it is now very safe to say that our so-called Auntie Olivia knows more than we were thinking she did; she could be holding the key to this whole thing." Nathan posited, half swinging his legs on the bed."I think so too. I'm just wondering what her motive was. I mean, why did she go through all that trouble to set Mom up? Collecting her man from her, only to be doing everything to reunite us with that same man again, doesn't make sense. Or could it be that she is a changed person now?" Isabella reason
ELLIOT’S POVI sat anxiously in my office, twitching the gold watch on my wrist from side to side. It was 8:30 a.m. on Monday, yet I was struggling to concentrate and proceed with the business of the day. I kept second-guessing my decision to defy Olivia; I kept re-evaluating the threat she had forwarded to me. I wondered whether or not she was indeed going to make good on the threat. What if she truly releases the tape? What would I do? What would happen to my reputation and the image of the company? How would I ever be able to go out in public? What will mom and dad think of me?I kept going through these thoughts when my phone vibrated on the desk. My heart jumped for a moment. I hesitated, thinking it was Olivia calling to inform me that she had carried out her threat.But when I finally checked, I let out a sigh of relief because it was the private investigator I assigned to the case. Days ago, after Olivia showed me that conversation at the restaurant, I contacted him again and