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
SOPHIE’S POVI stood in our sitting room watching Victoria, my stepmom, as she continued to rant and rain insults on me in the presence of my kids. When it was getting too much, I told the kids to wait for me in their room, and that they should come out only when I asked them to.Victoria continued with her insults like she had been doing since she showed up unannounced at our residence a few hours ago. I had allowed her to continue pointing her accusing fingers until the moment she threw caution into the wind to bring up the issue from five years ago."Why am I even surprised? Wasn't that how you sold yourself at a street club six years ago only to give birth to fatherless kids?" She fumed, pointing her fingers at me.I snapped after hearing that and was about to respond when the door flung open and Elliot rushed in to shout out something, which I was too angry to hear."Lies," I yelled, turning back to face Victoria again. This time, I was ready to damn the consequences, not minding
GENERAL POVAdam was in his sitting room and had just gotten off the phone with Sophie. He had both hands thrown behind him as he moved from one end of the room to the next. Once in a while, he would stop to examine his cheeks, trying to feel the extent of damage Sophie had done to his face with her hands.His thoughts were tumbling over each other, and he couldn't just keep calm."Look at what that bitch almost did to me for God's sake. Even to the extent of taking off her heels and almost smacking my head off. God knows what would have happened if Elliot had not arrived at the exact time he did. She might have gone on with it; who knows? Or had I asked for too much? I only said I wanted my kids to cry out loud, but instead, she decided to respond to my polite demands by slapping me.”He sucked his teeth and said, “I know what to do.”He rushed forward to where his phone was lying on the side stool. Then he picked it up and dialed Olivia’s number at once.“Hello, Adam.” Her voice p
SOPHIE’S POVMy hands were filled with lunch bags as I tagged behind my kids, who were already heading outside to meet up with Joseph. He had honked about twice already."Hurry up guys; you know how I don't like you guys getting to school late." I prompted."It's revision week, mummy; lateness isn't such a big deal this week," Isabella said without turning.I laughed behind her."It's always a big deal, my angel. So this means that your exams will be held next week, correct?""Yes." They said in unison, sounding excited."Great, I see you're all hyped up already. I trust my kids to ace all their papers, which isn't right.""Sure!" They said together again, “Trust us, mummy,” Owen added, which made me laugh out loudly for the second time.They finally got outside the gate, and Joseph beamed at us with his loyal smile, exchanging greetings with me and teasing my kids. I waved as I watched them drive off in the direction of their school before proceeding to hail a taxi down the road, w
SOPHIE’S POV“Child, I am talking to you. Did you really do all that?”My father repeated, looking at Olivia from where he was standing. Olivia was too afraid to look at him or even respond to his question.Victoria too was silent; she had a hand on her chin, looking at father with tearful eyes instead of her daughter, who was beside her.“Give me one moment, please.” Elliot excused himself as he went outside to get something. During the short wait, my father kept tapping his foot impatiently, keeping all his focus on Olivia while at the same time avoiding my gaze. When Elliot returned, it was not with something, as we had earlier thought; rather, it was with someone—his secretary, Mr. Gerald, the same person I accompanied to the station earlier.“Gerald,” Eliot called with a hand on his shoulder.“Please tell us how you met Olivia.”“Thanks for the audience, sir.” Gerald bowed slightly, throwing his hands behind him to speak."Well, I actually met Miss Olivia during the same period
SOPHIE’S POVI woke up alone a few hours later. From the pale look of the sunlight that filtered through my window pane, I could tell it was already evening. I yawned and rolled the sheets away to sit up properly. The time on the wall clock above was 20 minutes past five.I yawned again and slightly raised my voice to call on Owen and his siblings, but I got no response."Where did everyone go?" I thought."They should have heard my voice by now if they were anywhere near their room.Or could they be playing outside?" I reasoned again.Finally, I stretched out and climbed down from the bed to check for them in the living room.The first person I came across immediately after I entered the living room was Lucas. He appeared to be making a phone call with his back turned when I entered, but he immediately put an end to it when he saw me behind him.“Sophie.” He called lightly with a plastic smile before coming closer to me.“Lucas,” I called back.“You're awake.”“Yes.”“How is your mom?
General POVThe day the police had set aside for the unveiling of the DNA result had finally come. Sophie arrived at the station in New Rochelle in the company of Gerald, just like last time.As soon as she got out of the car, her father, Mr. Mack, came running towards her."How are you doing, my darling daughter? Did you sleep well? Christ bless your heart, my dear child."She tightened her lips and had not said a word to him.She went right past him to enter the same room where the meeting had been held the last time and took her seat in the right corner, far from the center.Adam had also arrived at that moment with his lawyer beside him; Elliot and Amanda followed right after them.Olivia and her mother were already seated in a corner; all previous faces were present except Mr. Harrington.After about 30 minutes of silently waiting with heads bowed, Mr. Harrington finally enters and assumes his usual position at the left-side corner.The police chief, Chief Bobby, and the doctor g
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