Ellen's POVThe sound of Zeke's voice halted their advance, and I turned to see him approaching. Although his expression was unreadable, I felt a sense of relief at the sight of him but I masked it behind a veneer of composure.Seizing the opportunity, I walked past the security detail without resistance, knowing that Zeke's presence alone would deter them from pursuing me further.As I approached Zeke, I could feel his gaze piercing through me, his eyes were complicated and he reeked of alcohol.Reaching his side, I gently supported him, concern etched into my features. “Baby, what's wrong with you?” I asked softly, my voice laced with worry. “You look like you've seen a ghost.”But before he could respond, I shook my head, dismissing the question. “Forget it,” I said firmly, my tone leaving no room for argument. “Let's get you home.”With a subtle nod from Zeke, we began to make our way out of the casino, leaving behind the prying eyes and lingering questions. We used the private e
Ellen's POVAfter Zeke's security threw me out, I put on a proud smile and looked back at the mansion. Sooner than later I would be back. As I left Zeke's house, disheveled but with my victorious smile intact, I quickly called my driver to come pick me up. “I need you to come to Zeke's place right away” I said urgently into the phone.“Right away, ma'am,” my driver responded dutifully.When he arrived, he greeted me with a curious glance. “Everything alright, ma'am?” he asked, noticing my disheveled appearance.“Everything is perfectly fine,” I replied with a confident smile.I was sure Zeke had no memory of what happened at night and for all he knows, he was not certain he slept with me. But his housekeepers and security details were there as witness, when I came out of his car with him.What was hard not to believe? I laughed at my thoughts. I caught the driver looking at me from the rear mirror.“Any problem?” I asked with a smirk.“No Ma'am.” He replied and continued driving.I e
Kamille's POVAs the bright morning light flickered into my room, I turned and fluttered my eyes open. It felt so good and warm to be home, where I belong.Alright, scrap the last part out. I stood up and went into the bathroom, I looked at my reflection in the mirror and sighed.“Hey girl, you have been through so much and you can pull this through. You have come this far, so you can definitely not give up.” After speaking to myself, I hurried over to my shower and dressed up. I had to go check on my kids and get them freshened up.I put on a black pair of shorts with a sweatshirt and walked out of my room with my flips on. I held my phone in my left hand as I approached Tyris's room.“Hello, love,” I said, reaching out to hold her hand.“Good morning mummy.” Her little voice rang out. I smiled.“How is mummy's baby feeling this morning?” I asked her while placing my hand on her forehead.“Good as new.” She replied with a cute smile.I chuckled. “We will let the doctors be the judg
Kamille's POV Hey Kamille,I have sent you the names, ID cards, and details of the home tutors. You can reach out to them when you are ready. Christopher. I smiled as I read the message from the breakfast table. Chris's thoughtfulness and care over the last few days have helped me move past what Zeke did to me. I was hurt every time I thought about what he did, but I was learning to leave him where he belonged. My past. I opened the mail and there were two tutors, a male and a female. Their profiling was perfect, so all that was left was the doctor's go-ahead.“Hurry up with your meal now, you don't want the doctor to meet you at the breakfast table,” I said to my kids who had been playing around with their food.I did not need any diagnosis to know my kids were okay, but I needed to be sure. I could not afford any chances.They finished with their meal and went with Nanny Dona upstairs, while I waited for the doctors in the living room.I sat going through my phone. My phone ha
Ellen's POV Calmly seated at the desk in my room, I scrolled through the evidence that was released on Liz and Gabriel. The video clips, the pictures and other recordings. There was too much evidence to be gotten just by anybody.If Kamille had taken these pictures, made these videos and given them to Belle before dying, why would Belle wait till now to release them?Belle was the only known friend of Kamille at the time of her death, but that fragile looking Belle did not look like she had the guts to do this.Except she had an alibi too. I stood up and began to pace anxiously in my room. I needed to be sure a tail was placed on her. I walked back to the desk and picked up my phone. Dialing Mr. Finley's number, I waited for him to answer.“Ms. Ellen,” Mr. Finley echoed through the phone.“Mr. Finley, there is someone I want you to place a tab on,” I said immediately.“Who might that be Ms. Ellen?” He asked.“I will send to you the details of where she lived and where she worked an
Ellen's POV I sat back in my seat opposite him and reached out to lay my phone on his table. His expression was so down and I knew something was definitely off.“Dad, are you alright?” I inquired softly, my voice laced with genuine concern.He raised his eyes to meet mine, the weariness in his expression evident. “The lawyer is awake,” he informed me gravely. “He's conscious now.”My heart skipped a beat at the news, a surge of worry flooding through me. “What's he saying? Has he made any move? Has he said anything?” I pressed urgently.If that lawyer woke up and began saying things he should not, then all of our hard work would go down the drain. His response was firm and resolute. “I've got my eyes on him. If he says anything, I'll finish off what I started four years ago.”Shock coursed through me at his words, and I could not help but demand clarification. “Dad, what do you mean by 'what you started'?” I asked.He raised his eyes to meet my gaze steadily. “Yes Ellen, what I star
Ellen’s POV After they adopted the child, Grandma Monica took over the business from him. She disregarded all his efforts and ran it by herself. She always made them give extra care and attention to her despite having his own family to take care of.Grandma Monica had doted on this adopted daughter more than she did on Liz, Gabriel, and myself. Close to her death bed, my father heard from his intel in the legal department that Grandma Monica had plans of giving everything to this unknown child, whose parents they knew nothing about.Grandma Monica had cancer which led to her death, so my father asked those people at the hospital to help include dementia in her report, just in case she wanted to act funny and she did. “So while she was saintly to almost everyone, she was evil to me and turned me into the beast I am today.”Father sighed, taking a sip from his glass of whiskey.*************Zeke’s POV Sitting in my study, surrounded by so much work but my mind was occupied with El
Ellen’s POV I stared at my father’s saddened face, and I sighed. "Don’t worry Father, I'll do everything in my power to ensure we regain what we've lost," I spoke to my father earnestly. He nodded, his expression a mix of pride and trust. "I trust you, Ellen," he said, his voice filled with confidence. I smiled. I looked forward to this day for a long time and with Liz not in the picture, it was easy to get my father’s attention. With determination coursing through me, I vowed to fulfill my father's trust and restore our family's legacy. "By the way, who's this investor you've been meeting with so frequently?" I inquired, curiosity piqued. My father's expression tightened momentarily before he responded, "The investor prefers to remain anonymous for now, but we communicate through a representative." I did not really care who the investor was. All that mattered was that we were going to land a major deal. "Alright, Dad, I'll catch you later," I said, rising from my seat.My fathe
Belle's POV The sun was warm on my skin, the breeze gentle and soothing as it drifted through the open patio where we all sat, the laughter of our loved ones filling the air. It was a picture-perfect moment—the kind of moment I used to dream about but never truly believed would come. We were all gathered around the long, sun-dappled table, the warmth of the day reflecting the joy that radiated from everyone’s faces. Zane was sitting beside me, his hand resting comfortably on my leg, our twins, Sean and Clara, gurgling happily in their bassinet close by. The twins were the center of attention today, as they were most days. Kamille’s kids, Reon, Torin, Tyris, Royer, and little Phoebe, were running around the patio, shrieking in delight as they chased each other. I glanced at Kamille and Zeke, who were sitting across from us, laughing and chatting while keeping a watchful eye on their children. Amanda, was helping prepare the meal, occasionally smiling in our direction as the kids d
Zane's POVI stood there, fists clenched, staring Dave Scott down. Every fiber of my being wanted to lunge at him, to make him pay for everything he’d done. But I couldn’t—at least, not yet. The recorder in my pocket was still running, capturing every damning word that fell from his mouth. I could feel it, a tiny weight pressing against my ribs, reminding me that I had to play this smart. For Belle. For Kelly. For justice.Dave, on the other hand, was as smug as ever, leaning back with that infuriating smirk plastered across his face. He had no idea that his time was running out.“You think you can just waltz in here and act like you own the place?” Dave sneered, his voice dripping with arrogance. “You’re nothing, Zane. A nobody playing hero in a game that’s way beyond your league.”I bit back my anger, forcing myself to remain calm. His words didn’t matter. Not when I had the truth on my side. I took a deep breath, my fingers brushing against the stop button on the recorder hidden
Belle's POVWalking into the living room wasn’t easy. My legs felt heavy, like I was dragging weights with each step. The air in the mansion was suffocating, thick with tension and unspoken fears. My heart raced, a wild, chaotic rhythm that matched the pounding of my thoughts. I could still hear my mother’s frantic voice behind me, begging, pleading for me to stay with them, to hide, to escape into the secret bunker.“Belle, you don’t have to do this!” she cried, reaching out as if she could physically hold me back. Her eyes were wide with fear, her voice trembling. “Come with us. We can hide. We can survive this.”I stopped, my hand resting on the doorframe, my back to her. I couldn’t turn around. I couldn’t let her see the turmoil etched on my face, the way my hands trembled from the weight of what I was about to do. My family was scared—terrified, really—but the idea of running, of leaving Zane behind to face this monster alone, felt like a betrayal I wasn’t willing to commit.“W
Dave's POVI had been waiting for over an hour, sitting there, staring at the doors leading to the rooms, expecting Belle and Zane to finally step out. It wasn’t like them to hide this long, especially Zane. But instead of the two people I was dying to confront, what I got was the Perri family, practically groveling before me. Pathetic.The Perri patriarch, Mr. Perri, stood in front of me with a forced smile, his hands clasped in front of him as though in prayer. His wife hovered behind him, wringing her hands nervously. “Please, David,” her father began, his voice trembling. “We don’t want any trouble. Just… drop the lawsuit. We’ll leave quietly, I swear. We won’t cause any problems.”I couldn’t help the smirk that stretched across my face. They were so desperate, so weak. This was the kind of power I craved, watching them squirm, knowing I held all the cards. “You won’t cause any trouble?” I repeated, mocking his words as if they were a joke. “Oh, trust me, you wouldn’t be able
Zane's POVBelle’s tears were too much for me to handle. The way her shoulders shook, the soft sniffles she tried to hide—it broke something inside me. I couldn’t stand seeing her like this. Without thinking, I reached out, pulling her into my arms once more, holding her as tightly as I dared.“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered, my lips brushing against her hair. “I swear to you, Belle, this will all end today. I’ll make sure of it.”She pulled back slightly, her wide, tear-filled eyes meeting mine. There was a small, hopeful smile on her lips, but I could see the doubt lingering beneath it. It killed me to know that she still didn’t fully believe everything would be fine, that she didn’t fully believe in me. But I didn’t blame her. After everything that had happened, after all the lies, how could she?God! I needed her to trust me.I leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips again, my hand cupping her cheek gently. When I pulled away, her eyes fluttered open, and I saw a leve
Belle's POV“I’m scared, Zane,” I confessed. My voice trembled, and my arms tightened instinctively around my belly. I felt so vulnerable, standing there in front of him, exposed and raw. How was I supposed to face Dave? What would he say? What would he do?Zane hugged me tighter. His warmth, his strength—it was like a lifeline, grounding me in the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm me. He pressed a soft kiss to my hair, his lips lingering there for a moment before he spoke.“You don’t have to be scared,” he murmured into my hair, his voice gentle yet filled with quiet resolve. “I’m here. No one is going to hurt you. Not Dave. Not anyone.”I closed my eyes, leaning into his chest, letting his heartbeat steady mine. His words were soothing, like a balm to my frayed nerves. Dave had always had a way of getting under my skin, and now… with everything that had happened…“Go get refreshed,” Zane said, pulling back slightly to look into my eyes. His fingers brushed a loose strand o
Zane's POVI cursed under my breath as we broke the kiss. I let her take a while to arrange her silk gown. I moved a bit from her as my mind played over what happened the night before.Belle couldn’t sleep all night; I could tell from the way she kept shifting in bed, her body tense beneath the silk sheets. I lay beside her, watching her.I thought back to earlier that night when I walked into the Perri mansion, my mind filled with chaos, only to be confronted by an entirely different reality. I remember the way Belle’s mother was yelling, her voice shrill with rage, but none of that mattered the second I saw Belle. She stood there, so fragile and strong all at once, and without thinking, I crossed the room and pulled her into my arms. Her soft, warm body pressed against mine, grounding me in the middle of the madness. She was everything. The only thing that made sense. The world could be burning down around us, and I wouldn’t care, as long as I had her.Belle’s mother, however, didn
Belle's POVI hadn’t moved from my spot on the bed. Not an inch. I sat there, staring blankly at the wall across from me, my mind heavy with thoughts, swirling memories of last night that I couldn’t quite shake. Everything felt so distant yet so vivid, playing over and over again in my mind. The weight of it all bore down on me, rendering me numb.Opposite me, Zane sat with his back against the headboard, his eyes wide open, just watching. He had been watching me all night. He hadn’t said much, but I could feel his presence, steady and unwavering, like a tether keeping me from completely unraveling. His gaze hadn’t left me, and for some reason, I found comfort in that. My thoughts drifted back to the moment it all came crashing down. The nausea that hit me like a brick after the shouting match with my mother, the way she had followed me into the bathroom after I threw up, concern etched across her face despite the earlier anger.“Belle, are you alright?” she’d asked, her voice surp
Dave's POVThe sun was barely up, casting a dull, gray light over the city, but the weight on my chest was already heavier than the day before. The shipment I had been waiting for was just a few hours away. The timing couldn’t have been worse, not with Belle out there and Zane still breathing. I needed to tie up loose ends, and fast.I sat on the brown leather swivel chair in my study, my hands running over my face as I tried to think. I needed to find a way to get the attention of the drug enforcement agency off my back before the shipment arrived. Every second counted, and I knew that one wrong move could bring it all crashing down.I reached for my phone, my fingers tapping rapidly as I sent out a message to my men. It was time to surround the Perri mansion. We need to bring Belle's family to their limit. Once that was done, they would bring out Belle. Or rather, she would bring forth herself. Then that nosy Zane Caruso will come for her and I get to silence him forever."Surrou