The morning sun was shining brightly as Alison prepared for another day of work. She was excited to be working at the headquarters of Travis's conglomerate, and she couldn't wait to dive into her new yet temporary role. Travis needed a legal practitioner to review some documents, and terms of contract and instead of going by the traditional method of using the conglomerate’s lawyers, he hired Alison, probably because he wanted to keep seeing her face everyday.As she got dressed and ready for the day, Alison felt a sense of nervous energy. She had always been drawn to the corporate world, and she was thrilled to be a part of it. But there was something about corporations that always made her feel nervous, instead of the original idea of confidence.After grabbing a quick breakfast, Alison headed out the door and made her way to the office. As she walked into the building, she was greeted by the friendly face of Travis's secretary."Good morning, Ms. Harper," the secretary waved with
Alison yawned tiredly and shut down her desktop and almost immediately, the transparent door to Travis’s office opened, revealing Travis.Alison decided to tease him a little bit before they went for lunch, with a mischievous grin, she asked. "You're still as overprotective as ever, aren't you?" she teased.Travis raised an eyebrow, trying to deny it. "I'm not overprotective," he said, his voice laced with amusement. "Where is that even coming from?”“Don't play dumb” Alison said, and sat on her work desk. “The event with Ryan…you should have let me go with him, I'm sure I wouldn't be this famished.”“You're still dumb,” Travis laughed, moving closer to the table on which she was seated, he pinched the bridge of her nose. “He was going to take you for dinner, not lunch. So you'd still be this hungry.”Alison playfully punched his arm. “I thought we were over this already..I'm not dumb!” She pouted.“Tell that to however is willing to listen,” he chuckled, and smirked leaning in, makin
Bruno was sitting in his office, sipping on a glass of whiskey, and working on the documents his secretary sent to him moments ago, when his phone rang. The caller ID was revealing an unknown number, making him hesitate for a moment before answering it."Hello?" he said, his voice cautious."Hello, Bruno," a mysterious voice said on the other end. "We need to meet."Bruno’s instincts told him to hang up, as he tried to make sense of what just happened. Who calls a person who doesn't know them, and asks for a meet up? That was absolutely lame. But something about the voice made him not end the call, there seemed to be a sense of urgency in the tone.. "Who is this?" he demanded."I'd rather not say over the phone," the voice replied. "But I think you'll want to hear what I have to say.” The person replied and sensing Bruno’s hesitation, she decided to expose a little more.“I also know about your plot against Barrister Alison Harper…” she trailed off. “I'm sure you know what exposing
The room was shrouded in partial darkness, the only light coming from the dim disco lights.The figure standing by the window was almost invisible, but as the moonlight caught her face, her features became clear. It was the same woman who had met with Bruno earlier, the one who had wanted him to be her ally.She was smoking a cigarette, as though deriving joy from it, her eyes gazing out into the distance.Her expression was distant as well, as her eyes seemed to hold a thousand secrets.She was finally back, to take all of them down, and claim what was hers and nobody in the whole Chicago will stop her, not when her treasure became even more powerful, like gold, her treasure got more refined…she had laboured so much in the past and no one was coming to rea0 the fruit of her labour.Her gaze was still outside staring into the city, and her mind far away from where she stood, but there was a knock on the door, and the knock broke her out of her reverie.She turned, her eyes narrowing
Alison stood by her aunt's bedside, her eyes fixed on the frail figure lying helpless in the hospital bed. Her aunt's face was pale and gaunt, her eyes sunken and closed. The machines surrounding her beeped and whirred, a constant reminder of the fragile state of her aunt's health.Alison felt a wave of panic wash over her, her breath catching in her throat. She was on the verge of tears again, just like she had been since she stepped into the room.her eyes welling up with a mixture of sadness and fear. She couldn't bear the thought of ever losing Megan, the woman who had been her rock, her confidante, and her best friend..who knows, if not for Megan's intervention, she might have still been stuck in jail, waiting for the end of her jail term.Officer Carlos was away on a job, and Alison had insisted that he not be told about her aunt's accident. She didn't want him to worry, she didn't want him to feel guilty for not being there, or rush down here.But now, as she stood by her a
The machines surrounding Megan's bed started to beep rapidly again, this time, breaking Alison out of her thoughts, then she realized that the doctor wasn't there yet.She was about to go out to get him, when he rushed into the room, with three nurses behind him."I'm sorry, but I'll really need to ask you all to excuse us for a moment," he said, his voice firm but polite.Alison nodded, feeling a lump form in her throat. Travis led the way, and she followed him behind, looking back at intervals.A part of her couldn't stop being a pessimist, that part felt as though her aunt was going to be wheeled out with all white robes covering her, up to her head.She shook the negative thought off, and watched as the door closed behind the doctor, and she felt a wave of panic wash over her. The sound of the machine beeping, the smell of the hospital, it all reminded her of the prison cell she had been in for so long.The way the door was easily locked and opened whenever there was a visitor f
Alison's eyes widened in shock as she stared at her Megan, who was looking around lost, like someone who had just set eyes on a ghost.Alison's mind reeled with confusion and fear. "Aunt Megan, it's me, Alison!" she exclaimed, her voice shaking with emotion. "Don't you recognize me? You took me in when I had no one and had to start from the scratch, you were there to make me feel human again"But Megan just looked at her, a puzzled expression on her face. Alison felt a wave of panic wash over her, and she started to scream. "Aunt Megan, please! You have to remember me!"Travis who had been watching both women for a while, shook his head before moving closer to them, trying to comfort Alison. Alison was acting totally babyish, and he found that extremely cute since that was a part of her that she never shows. She was bossy most of the time, and rarely got the chance to let her innwrchild out."Alison, calm down," he whispered, placing his hand around his shoulder, his voice soft and
The two elite men, Marco and Enzo, sat in Bruno’s office, discussing their plans for the deal they had made plans to invest in for the future, but Bruno seemed distant, as though his mind preoccupied with something else.Marco, who had been observing Bruno’s expression, was slightly bothered, suddenly spoke up. "Bruno, what's going on?" he asked, his voice firm but concerned. "You seem troubled. Is everything okay?"Bruno hesitated for a while, staring at the older man who had a worried expression which he found rather strange in his eyes, unsure of how to respond. But then, something inside of him snapped, and he decided to open up about everything. A problem shared was half solved, right?“I got a strange call earlier…” he started, his gaze growing distant. “And the caller seemed to know a lot about me, so I had to see her,” he explained and Enzo scoffed loudly.“I didn't quite get you…so you got a call from a strange lady, and that's why you've been sitting here bothered all day?
Travis tried to trail Raquel, but she was nowhere to be found, apparently she had already gone too far.“Fuck!!” He groaned in annoyance, punching his steering and screaming his lungs out. “I've lost everything!”Before he could stop himself, tears began slipping down his eyes. He got to the side of the road and parked.“Why did I let it get to this point?” He asked himself, ruffling his hair in frustration and crying out. “Now she has gotten what she wanted and is nowhere to be found.”He tried to calm himself down but it just was not working out.‘why not just head home, hopefully you would meet her and explain everything.’ His subconscious mind suggested and Travis shook his head.“I fucked up already, what explanation is going to make sense to her?” He muttered, his eyes already red from crying and his fists bruised.Eventually, he decided to drive home, not knowing exactly what to expect, but hoping for the best nevertheless.The drive was rough, with Travis growing more emotiona
“What the hell is going on here?” Alison yelled in shock, and Raquel got off Travis thighs, deciding to play the victim.“Sweetheart, what is she still doing here? I thought you said you were no longer with her?” Raquel asked Travis, pointing at Alison and crying. “I should never have trusted you again in the first place.”“Alison, I swear I can explain.” Travis whispered getting off the couch and swiftly going over to hold Alison.“Don't touch me!” She snapped, slapping his hands off her. “I should have known that this is what you were up to when you suddenly woke up and created the idea that you were going to work from home.”“Cupcake, it's not what you think.” He said going on his knees. “I promise you, I was actually working from home.”“It can even be what I think, but what I saw Travis… this bitch was straddling you and you didn't even push her off, what is she even doing here? And what does she mean by you said we'd broken up?” Alison asked, feeling her feet grow cold then she
The notion that ‘time flies’ had never made more sense to Alison. Just like yesterday, she was fighting to get her son back, then she lost him, and now three months had passed already. She had finally embraced the fact that her Theo was gone and she was never going to see him again. Deep down, she was grateful to Travis, who had always been her knight in shining armor, walking her through every single stage of grief. She finally opened her heart to Karen, Megan and Carlos, letting them comfort her. Although Alison never believed the saying that ‘time heals’ she'd a testament to that. “You're awake?” Travis muttered with a small smile as Alison tried to sit upright. “How was your night?” “It was good, I mean… I slept well,” she replied and smiled back at him. Her gaze caught the time on her clock and she gasped. “It's 8am, already? I have to get to the office.” She said and swiftly got out of bed. “Wait, you're resuming, already? You sure you are ready?” Travis asked, with
“I can't keep watching her do that to herself.” Travis murmured, as he sipped from his drink at the bar. “It's been more than two weeks already, and she is still refusing to talk to or see anybody.”Oscar sighed and then patted Travis’s back softly. “You've got this boss. Although Miss Alison needs som time alone, you should be by her side, comfort her and and reassure her that you're always going to be by her side and she hasn't lost her only reason to live.”“I had no idea you were really good with advice.” Travis chuckled lightly, and took a sip of his drink. “She's extremely vulnerable at this moment, and I am too…it's difficult consoling her, when she keeps blaming herself for everything that has happened.”“The more reason you have to be there for her, help her get rid of the emotional trauma.” He said, his expression unreadable. “It's better that way, so she doesn't feel like she's alone.”“I'll try to do that, and I hope she'd finally agree to go out. I can't watch her in that
Tears, pains, guilt, regrets and sorrows suddenly redefined Alison. It has already been a week since Theo's death, but to her it was no more that yesterday.Words of encouragement came in through one ear and went out through the other, leaving her drowning in despair and a walking shadow of her former self.“Where did I go wrong?” She asked no one in particular, as she sat alone in the room Theo spent his last week in. “Why do forces seem to be standing against my happiness? One moment, I'm at the verge of achieving my dreams, and the next minute, it's like everything has been turned upside down.”Travis who had been watching her from the door which was slightly ajar, shook his head in pity.“For how long will you keep doing this to yourself?” He finally asked. Alison didn't flinch despite how sudden his voice came, neither did she react, she just remained motionless, holding tightly onto Theo's bloodstained clothes, as if they were going to disappear if she let them go.She had ins
After running over Theo, the person behind the wheels smirked triumphantly and drove off without bothering to wait.When he had gotten to a reasonable distance away from them, he pulled the mask over his face revealing Spider.“Too bad, the little boy had to pay for the sins of his parents.” He repeated Raquel's words from the last time and then dialed her number.She answered on the first ring.“Hey spider, what's good? Did you succeed?” She asked, panic obvious in her voice.“You don't trust me?” He asked proudly. “To think that they made things easier for me, I didn't have to trail or…”“You're saying the kid is dead already, right?” Raquel cut him off impatiently. “Not yet, but with the level of harm I caused, I doubt he will survive it.” He reported.“Are you already on your way back here?” Raquel asked, and he could hear a hint of disdain in her voice.“Why asking?” He asked back.“Don't come back to the Cartel yet. Those people are smart enough, they would have you trailed and
**ONE WEEK LATER**“Travis, do you think I am a bad mother?” Alison asked, one morning before breakfast. She was seated before her mirror, staring at her expression, while Travis sat on the bed behind her, working on his laptop.“Where is this coming from?” He asked, clearly shocked by her question. “This is not about Theo, is it?”“It's him, and I just can't help it.” She muttered, then a tear slid down her eyes. “He does not seem happy, I have tried my best.”“He will come around very soon, it's not so easy moving away, and then blending in with new people just immediately, try to understand him.” Travis explained, keeping his laptop aside.“It's been a whole week already, Travis! I spent years praying for the day when he would finally be by my side, and call me mom without interruption. I longed to hold him in my arms and play with him…” she chocked on her tears, swallowing the bile that rose to her throat. “And now that I finally got the chance to do so, he isn't even happy.”“Hav
Alison couldn't utter any words, not like she was overjoyed, or overwhelmed, she just didn't have the ability to react, especially not at that moment, What would she even say?She remained mute as she watched Bruno and his mum get led by the cops to a van, the one that was eventually going to drive them to jail.As they walked out, being led out like criminals, Alison couldn't stop staring, as a sudden feeling of guilt overwhelmed her.Was that all? The whole vengeance she spent so much time fighting for, was that everything or more was still ahead? It did not taste as sweet as she imagined it would, rather, it was bitter—You know the taste of bitterness that just keeps enveloping your taste buds, the more you keep sipping the more you yearn for more. That was exactly how she felt.She just stood there, no longer conscious of her environment or her achievements, all she could do was stare into space.“Hey, pretty lady! I told you, didn't I? I said you were going to make us proud, and
**TWO MONTHS LATER**It's been over three months after the break out of the scandal, which is already slowly dying down. The press conference helped to keep the shareholders abreast about everything that was going on, and stop them from withdrawing, while curtailing the wagging tongues of the public and giving Travis a break from all the stigma.It's finally the day for the final trial and judgement for the case Alison pressed charges for against Mrs. Francisco and Bruno Francisco.For the custody of Master Theo Francisco. She was also sueing Mrs. Francisco for attempted murder, and forgery, while Bruno was standing trial as an accomplice.Alison is already dressed and has her files and all the evidence she intends to tender to the court, in her car.She kept pacing around the living room nervously, with a lot of thoughts running through her mind. Deep down she was really scared of what the outcome of the trial was going to be.“Alison, I think you really need to calm down, and get a