"Stephanie?"Elder Mrs Collins appeared behind me.My eyes widened."Who were you talking to?" she asked as she came and stood in front of me."Edward,mother." I said as I had no one else in mindHer face lit up "Is he coming?"Before I could reply,"It's nice of you to have called him, dear because I've seen the perfect match and I want you both to take pre-wedding photos""Mom... he's not-""C'mon dear" she pulled my wrist "Go and get dressed"Some other ladies were waiting outside.They took me from Hailey and pulled me along with them.I didn't complain because I knew Edward would never show up here.It gave me a kind of relief as I sat down comfortably and let them waste their time on my face.* * *Jamie burst into Jake's office with smiles on her face.Jake looked up from his laptop."Well guess what honey?!""What?”"Tch! Just guess!!" she probed further"Go straight to the point,Jamie.I'm busy here"She dipped her hand into her handbag and brought out a bunch of invitation cards.
I remained in the restroom ten minutes longer until a loud knock heightened my anxiety."Stephanie are you alright? You've been in there long enough" Hailey said from outside.I adjusted my gown and stepped "I'm fine mother,just needed to-""It's okay" she said as she pulled me back to where I don't want to go.The silver stilettos were still there.She sat me down on the couch."Wear them now.Before Edward gets her you'll still need to take a sole photo"I took the heels with trembling hands.The diamond stone on it glittered on my white legs and it was beautiful but I cannot walk with this!I grabbed the second one and the moment I slipped it in, my ankles began to hurt.Mother gave me a hand"C'mon let me help you"I gave her my hand and she helped me stand on my feet but my legs wobbled that instant.She wanted to let go but I held onto her"Are you alright?"I smiled "Of course mom.It's just that...af-after the accident the doctor adviced me not to wear stilettos for a while""Ste
The moment Jamie Lowell saw Stephanie she rushed from the car over to her with smiles all over her face."Oh my God, Stephanie!!" it was a dream come true for Jamie "It's a pleasure to meet you!"I didn't know what to say or do.Jake came up beside his wife staring intently at Stephanie."Meet my husband!" Jamie was saying "Jake Lowell" Edward's ears shut up the moment he heard that name.His terrifying gaze went to Jake Lowell who stretched his hand for a shake.Edward reluctantly took it."You weren't present at the meeting,Mr Collins but I supposed your assistant must have put in a word or two"Edward said nothing.All those while he noticed how nervous and perplexed Stephanie was.I avoided any of them gaze until..."Hello there,Mrs Collins" he stretched his hand again for a shake.I looked up and consequently smiled while purposely rejecting his stretched out hand.But I totally forgot that if anyone can forget my smile Jake Lowell cannot.The smile on his face instantly disappear
"No I won't!" I screamed back "I will never let that happen! I will reveal the truth to mother if you and Stephanie do not let me go!" He said nothing but kept emptying the content of the bottle."When I first saw you in the video," I sniffed "I thought you were a good man..and stupid me! I wished to be yours!""I didn't know you were this shameless and despicable! I curse that day!"He lazily tilted his head towards me.I took a step back."I will fulfill your wish.Shouldn't you be happy that a peasant like you is going to get married to me?""I'd choose being a peasant ten thousand times over marrying you! That's how much I hate you Edward Collins!" I yelled"I'm not also a good man." he turned to me "Everyone knows that and I'm just about to show you how foolish and fierce I can be"He'd finished the content of the bottle.I walked away from him in fear."Would you undress yourself or.." he stretched his hand "..you want some help?"I leaned against the door,tears dropping from my
In the car.There was a deafening silence.Jake was buried deep into his own world of thoughts while Jamie just stared out through the window with small tears seeping out from the corner of her eyes.Even though she would be married to the one she loves to the moon and back,Jamie still felt empty.She felt like she was putting in so much to make this marriage work out yet she received nothing but pain upon pain.Yes Jake had said he would never love her but she didn't believe that because somehow she had a belief that this child would bring her closer to him.What scares her the most is Diana popping out of nowhere back into their lives.That would be a disaster.Look how their lives changed! Indeed,Diana Valdez carried a konk badluck.Finally she got to meet her very own role model..her favorite celebrity.Stephanie Collins.She'd love to admit that she looked a lot like Diana but it was more than obvious that it can't be her.Nothing would ever make Jamie believe that that woman is
Just then Stephanie's phone rang.It was Edward but a surprised look registered on her face.She stood up from her wheelchair and locked the door once Diego was out.Why is Edward calling her? Weird..All the three years of their marriage,she didn't think she'd ever received a call from Edward.It means something is wrong.She picked."Edward?" she spoke firstSilence.And then.."Stephanie" he called gently,which was unusual "Get your ass down here to my villa and come explain to me how this woman is still a virgin!"He ended the call shortly after.Stephanie threw her phone onto the couch.She knew that it wouldn't take time before Edward fore himself on Diana but to think that woman is still a virgin!"Ugh! Seriously Diana!" she screamed out.Never in her life did she think any woman living here in Chicago would still be a virgin.She should have known considering how innocent that little bird looked and now she felt like Diana had ruined everything! Because Edward is not into virgi
I opened my eyes slowly.It was dark.My eyes were fully opened now and the last event replayed in my mind.I slowly realized that..that Edward must have slept with me.A low gasp escaped from my lips as I immediately sat up.I removed the duvet, looking for a sign of blood.But there was nothing.I reminded myself that he could have changed the bed cover.I moved to check other ways.I moved my legs perhaps I'd feel a slight pain down there but nothing,only my sore ankle hurt slightly.I gasped now.What did that schmuck do to me.I dropped my legs from the bed in an attempt to search for him and give him a piece of my mind.When I raised my head up I saw him.Shit.He was staring right at me and that also means he has been staring at me.I noticed his striking features from afar.He was dressed in total black.A black turtle neck and black pants with his gold wristwatch adorning his broad hands.He had a wine glass swinging in his hands.Perhaps he just had a bath because I could see the w
I came out of the bathroom an hour later and met Edward sprawled on the bed.He was fast asleep and he looked so...I sighed in my heart as I lowered myself on the other side of the bed.I still felt really afraid.What if he wakes up at night and try to hurt me again?But I had no choice.There isn't a couch in the room,just the large king sized bed.I laid down properly thinking of the moment he'd threatened to kill Jake.It was like my blood pressure shot up because it was then I realized that the two might clash considering that Jake was now into technologies.I know Jake would never stop looking for me and I also know that if he eventually finds out the truth he'd come and try to take me away.Knowing Edward,he would surely take action and fulfil his threat.Each day that passes the fear in me keeps increasing.Something huge might happen soon;something disastrous.I closed my eyes and opened it again.I prayed silently that if anything should happen, neither Edward,his parents,Jak
The upcoming wedding ceremony of Edward and Diana shutdown the whole Illinois. Everyone was talking about the pre-wedding photos and they all anticipated the wedding day. People were curious where the wedding would take place.A day before the wedding, the location was revealed and half the population were disappointed. It was to take place at the beach and no one knows why sophisticated couples like Edward and Diana chose such a location.No one was as disappointed as high school girls who had lied to their parents the school had organized a trip. A whooping sum was allocated to their accounts and the girls were beyond elated. This is because they had guessed that the wedding would be overseas, possibly Paris, England or even Dubai. So they had duped their parents of a huge amount of money at the expense of being caught and expelled by the school. Despite this huge risk, they were not frightened of the consequences because they would do and give anything to attend Diana and Edward's w
Hailey showed equal surprise. But more than that she was happy and grateful. She had little hope of seeing Diana and also her grandchildren. As she came and stood in front of her, Diana had no idea what to do. She wondered whether to apologize. She didn't know what to expect because during her stay at the mansion, her and Hailey were close enough to pass for mother and daughter. Since she has been away for few months it was only natural to jump into her mother's arms and hug her tightly.Edward kissed her forehead and whispered, "It's the surprise" and then he left them. After a moment of silence, Diana parted her lips and spoke with her head lowered, "I..I don't know if I still have the privilege to call you mother." she lifted her head with tears in her eyes. In order to vindicate herself, she could easily explain that her sister was the mastermind but then again, she wouldn't do that."I'm to blame to everything," she began "I accepted to be a surrogate because my life was hard
The whole Illinois was thrown into jubilation in the early hours of October fifteen. Groups of Stephanie's fans that had now turned Diana's fans had come with lots of gifts and flowers but they were not allowed into the hospital.Still, this did not baffle them. They sang and expressed their happiness carrying beautifully decorated banners all over the streets. It was celebration galore.Meanwhile, Diana was yet to regain consciousness. Earlier that morning she had opened her eyes but closed them almost immediately. The doctor explained to the Collins' that she needed adequate amount of rest after being in labor for nine hours.Edward was super excited and Stephanie too. In fact as they stared at the baby boys in the crib she agreed that she could never have brought herself to murder this handsome creatures.She couldn't stop checking on them. Hailey was equally excited while Henry had spent some time admiring the new kids before he went off to the company.A while later, some of Hail
Pulling off his coat, Edward stormed into the hospital while sweating. He tossed the coat aside and immediately found his way to the reception with Hailey and Henry following behind."I'm-""The VIP room, sir" the receptionist answered before he finished speaking. "The last floor." she further described and Edward raced towards the elevator.Since Hailey and Henry were not up to his pace, they were left out of the elevator.Edward's heart was jumping in anxiety. Alone in the elevator he could hear his heart beat racing rapidly. If Stephanie hadn't been around and willing to help...his thought trailed off. He blamed himself for not being frequent with the due date. He was completely occupied and didn't want to show Diana and his unborn kids to the public yet. However,He stepped out of the elevator and picked up a steady race. Luckily, his eagle eyes spotted Stephanie afar off. When he got there, she approached him totally panic-stricken."Where is she?" Edward askedStephanie's eyes t
Hailey was having a quiet tea with Henry. Together they had watched the viral video of the crash scene at the bridge and how Edward had flown in to save Diana.It was all over the internet including the family feud that was witnessed by passerbys between Ryan and Edward.People were still waiting patiently for answers but after a month there was nothing. Edward had handed the company to his most trusted man and instructed him not to grant any interviews and reject every calls.Hailey was glad Edward found Diana after all and although Edward was refusing her calls she hoped that Diana and the unborn kids are doing okay.Tantrums and vile words were no longer thrown at Diana. After all, the citizens had witnessed Stephanie save the her and even shot at the man who had threatened Diana and the unborn kids. This left the entire Illinois in confusion. Not to add to the fact that they were all ashamed of how they'd jumped into conclusions and cursed at an innocent woman."Have you tried cal
Diana had a hard time falling asleep. Still in a private hotel booked by Edward, she hoped to speak with Stephanie but the latter had locked her door and would not listen to anyone.Edward managed to help her fall asleep and now as the sun rays seeped through the curtains a face popped up in front of her.Yawning, she got up and rubbed her eyes."There she is," Edward smiled "The love of my life and the woman of my dreams."Diana smiled."How was your night, hubby?" she could see him clearly now"Since you were by my side, it was perfect." Diana realized that he was all dressed up."Where are you going so early??"Leaning in, he stole a quick kiss and began heading for the door."It's a surprise, I'll be back.""B-but Edward-" before she could speak he was off. Diana wondered what the surprise could be. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Stephanie's door opening. She hurriedly got out of bed and wore her slippers. When she got out of the room she met Stephanie with a tray o
Somewhere in Illinois, Ryan was laid to rest. No one was present in the funeral, except Stephanie, Diana, and Edward. It was a month after his death and Edward was recovering very quickly.Despite Diana's insistence for him to rest he refused and really wanted to organize a large funeral ceremony for Ryan."Edward, is that necessary?" had been Diana's reply."Yes, babe." he answered "I know he doesn't deserve it but still we're brothers and I acknowledge that. Things only went awry, and I still wish he had just humbled himself. We would have made the perfect duo.""But Stephanie-" Diana had said "She's refused to speak to anyone."Edward pulled out his phone, "She'll be fine." he said and then proceeded to make a call through when Stephanie had stepped into the room."No need for that," Edward and Diana turned to look at her."I want a peaceful funeral." she sniffed "Just me and him."Edward stepped forward, "I understand if you want a peaceful funeral but you're keeping us from att
Beverly stepped out of the plane first and Layla followed second. Two months in France has come to an end and now she is back to Illinois.Mike had followed them after all, but only after everything was settled back at the Don's estate. They drove to a hotel first and Layla was the first to crash on the bed. She was tired from the flight and soon dozed off quickly.Somehow, Beverly couldn't sleep despite how tired she looked. She was nervous because in an hour or two, they'd be meeting with the only man she had come to love. The same man who had married her but only for nine months as the contract had said.Having spent two months and some weeks away, only six months and some weeks were left. Mike had managed to convince her to meet up with him and hear his thought. If it were left to her, she would have just collected herself together and move on with her life.Mike came from behind with a glass of juice."Thanks." Beverly whispered.Slipping his hands into his pocket, Mike said"I
A week later Jake could walk around on his own and although the hospital declared him fit and still needed to take some rest, Mr Bryan came with the police.It was all his plan. The police were friends of his and Mr Bryan did not file for a case against Jake. He only wanted Jake to change for the better.When Jake saw the police, fear was written all over his face. In silence, they cuffed him and began to take him away. Mr Bryan watched, hoping that he would turn back and apologize.Mrs Bryan met them at the door as they were about leaving. "Please don't take my son to jail," she began to plead "Let go off him!""Mrs Bryan please let us do our job. Your son needs to understand the importance of human feelings. Until he is remorse for his actions, he would be sent to jail." the cop replied hoping that Jake would grab the message.Mrs Bryan held her son's face, "Jake, please apologize already. Is your pride more important than spending the rest of your live in jail away from everyone??