Chapter 1 - Spilled Secrets.

“ALIYAH MALVERN! PICK UP YOUR CALLS!”

That was the text message that had just entered her phone. For a minute Aliyah stared at her phone wondering why her best friend would decide to text her a message all in caps locks.

‘What’s up with Juliet?’ Aliyah muttered to herself before dropping the phone on the bed and decided to start dressing for school.

Just as she passed by the ceiling to ground mirror, she paused, standing before it, her lips soon stretched into a big smile, remembering the night, before she bit her lower lip and moaning the name ‘Justin’

“Damn!I am such a bad girl.” She blushed.

Closing her eyes to relive the moment from yesterday, ecstasy ran through her, she felt herself on cloud nine. Yesterday night was the night she had given up the most precious thing, her cherished prize, her virginity not to any man but to her one and only, the love of her life, Justin Alward.

Yeah you read that right… Justin Alward, the next CEO of the Alward group, her boyfriend of three years.

“No way!” She exclaimed, snapping her eyes open, she had just remembered something.

“I can't wait to see forever with you, babe.” Justin’s words resonated within her and she grinned all the more.

She was damn getting engaged!

With pride and arrogance, she waved her hand before the mirror imagining that a beautiful ring was on it.

The ringing of Aliyah's phone brought her back to reality, she picked the phone, a frown settled on her face seeing it was Juliet, she wiped the answer icon.

“Juli-”

“Where the hell did you put your phone, Aliyah!” She yelled, Aliyah had to quickly put the phone at a distance saving her eardrum.

With eyes rolling, she returned the phone to her ear and answered “And a good morning to you too Juliet.” Aliyah greeted, her eyes drafted to the wall clock, oh she was already running late.

“Aliyah, you need to check YouTube right now, channel 334, you need to, now.” Juliet said, urgency laced her tone making Aliyah wonder if everything was okay.

“Wha-”

“Now!”

And with that the call ended, for a minute Aliyah stared at her phone in utter confusion before doing as her best friend has said.

She paused her action when she noticed that the said channel had a lot of followers, she slowly sat at the edge of her bed and was about to click on the live video when a thought dropped in her mind

…. Was Justin proposing to her on that channel … During their love making he had actually hinted at marriage, she didn't want to push it so as not to scare him, because she can't afford to lose Justin, he was cute, handsome, sexy, romantic, oh goodness!

Her heart really can't bear all the happiness, he would propose to her! Oh goodness!

With great joy and a big grin on her face, she clicked on the channel.

Damn! Could this ever be more romantic!

The happiness she was feeling made her stand up and begin to pace around,ready to see her boyfriend in his beautiful and expensive tuxedo, looking all handsome and romantic for her, only her, then him on one knee with a bouquet of flower in one hand, a little box in another hand, with a beautiful smile on his face as he ask her the big question!

Damn! Aliyah!

But her pacing came to an abrupt stop, her smile slowly dropped as instead of Justin, Aliyah's eyes is met with that very person that had made her whole life miserable after her father's death .. her step mother Madam Priscilla and beside her is seated her stepbrother, David, both were smiling broadly.

“Why the hell would Juliet tell me to tune in to this -” Her annoyance building up, her words got stuck as the headline written in bold italic font on the screen hit her vision, she quickly brightened her phone.

She must have seen something wrong?

“Aliyah Malvern, the Malverns' first daughter, is a bastard, illegitimate child. A child from a dirty secret affair.”

Aliyah's heart dropped.

No!

This is not happening!

No! Tears began to sting her eyes, she quickly increased the volume.

“Wow!,” The presenter exclaimed, surprise written all over her face, obviously shocked by what she must have heard. “So you're saying that the first daughter of late Albert Malvern, the one he exceptionally dotes on, is an illegitimate child?”

Tears began crawling down her face as Aliyah remembers her late father, the man that was and will always be her hero, he loved and cared for her so much that unknowingly, her step mother and siblings grew jealous and hated her which resulted into maltreatment, though they hated her but in front of her father they pretended to love her.

“Oh, no!” Her step mother waved her hands to the camera “Aliyah is a sweet child and I promised my late husband to love and care for her just as he did, please refrain from calling her that, her mother was just a whore, a bitchy chance seeker, that's all.” She ended it with a smile on her face.

“Chance seeker?”

“Yeah,” Though Aliyah's stepmother kept smiling but Aliyah knew her stepmother well enough to know that was the smile she would give when she was about to downgrade someone, Aliyah has seen such smiles on her stepmother’s face a lot of time.

“I and Albert were trying for a child and she took her chance of being his secretary, it was easy for her, she got him drunk and had her way, but as I said earlier, Aliyah would always be my beautiful daughter, I love you baby.”

Her stepmother's words were so fake, they have always been a lie since her father's death. Once Aliyah had believed those words, she had faced the consequences of ill treatment.

“Hmmm… that's so kind hearted of you.” The presenter commended “So now, we heard your son would be taking over both companies of the Malverns, and it's a general knowledge that before your husband's death, he publicly announced Aliyah as the CEO of one of the companies, a position she would assume after college.”

Still with a smile, her step mother answered “Aliyah consented to giving it to her brother here, believing he is a better leader than herself.” David smiled as he adjusted himself on his seat.

Aliyah blinked in confusion. Yes, her late father had publicly announced her ascension as the CEO of A. Malverns, she even had the documents to show for it but never did she consent to give it to David, never.

What's going on?

“You must have trained her well.”

“Of course I did, having a whore as a mother isn't one of the best options.”

“I do agree.” The presenter said and the channel went on commercial break, Aliyah scrolled to the comment section and in minutes she burst into fresh tears.

*Wow! Never knew late Albert had a mistress*

*Such a homewrecker*

*Aliyah should be grateful for having a good step mother as Madam Priscilla.*

*Aliyah is an illegitimate child but wise since she gave her share to her brother*

Her heart couldn't bear it anymore, she threw her phone on the bed, and collapsed on the ground… crying helplessly because reality just dawned on her that her inheritance was just taken away and now the whole world knew her secret.

It's true that she, Aliyah Malvern is an illegitimate child, a mistake that her step mother and siblings often reminded her of, she was the result of a dirty affair between her father and his secretary, her mother.

And, no. She doesn't hate her late mother because even before Aliyah's father died which was when she was just sixteen, he told her everyday how much he loved her mother, how much she was amazing, how Aliyah looked so much like her and how he missed her every single day because her mother had died during childbirth.

Aliyah tried to hold her tears but they kept falling, her phone began to ring, she struggled to get on her feet, seeing that it was Juliet, her best friend calling, she ended the call, she wasn't ready to talk to anyone but she, Aliyah, needed comfort. She smiled as the thought of Justin invaded her.

“I love you Aliyah and absolutely nothing can come in between us.”

She smiled all the more as Justin's words rang in her head, assuring her that he was there for and with her, always. And now she really needed comfort, her very own comfort, Justin.

‘I would go see my comfort, Justin.’

**

Though sad and with a face swollen from tears, Aliyah smiled as she stepped out of the elevator,punching in the password which was her birthday date, she stepped in.

Her smile increased as the familiar atmosphere filled in on her. It was beautiful and its city view was what made her love it more. Slowly she moved over to see the beautiful night view, she smiled, her nerves relaxing.

“Oh.” Aliyah mumbled, she had turned only to see two glass cups, and a bottle of wine which was half way through.

“Seems he has a visitor.” She fished out her phone from her bag to give him a call that she was around and she is sure even if he had visitors he would still come to see her, even if she wouldn't be staying.

Right now she just needed his comfort, his arms around her telling her that she would be fine because he is right there with her, on her side.

As Aliyah was about to dial his number her eyes fell on the red bag and then the red pairs of high heels that were on the ground, somehow those items were familiar… wait?

She moved forward to have a clearer view, her heart seemed to race as a little voice kept telling her something she didn't want to believe.

Her eyes widened in shock when she saw it, that inscription, that very signature inscription that Aliyah was all too familiar with.

She picked up one of the pairs, “Valerie.” Aliyah called out, her lips trembling.

“Oh Justin!” That all too familiar voice called, hearing the sounds of hurrying feet getting closer, Aliyah knew she needed to hide!

Aliyah quickly hid herself behind one of the couches, she pushed out her head, dizziness and a pang of headache hit her as she stared at the two individuals that had just got out of the bedroom… both were … naked… stark naked.

No!