Rebecca’s POVA new gossip had surfaced on the internet, spreading quickly across a blog site and then picked up by others.I was still awake, sitting on the couch with Natasha as we binge-watched a K-drama on Netflix when my phone buzzed with a notification.“Gabriel Moretti now a laughingstock?” the headline read. Instantly, I was curious.I showed my phone to Natasha, and she immediately got the same notification on her own device.Both of us were intrigued, so we clicked the link and opened the article.“Gabriel Moretti, one of Madena's millionaires, humiliated himself at St. Luis Café earlier today. Sources say he was stumbling drunk after downing several bottles of beer alone. Could this be a sign of depression, or is he just a reckless man who no longer cares about his reputation? Let’s dive into the details.”Under the post, there was a division line, and another post began.“Recently, we saw the fashion store, The Authentic Authentics, next to Moretti Shoes, reopening with a
Gabriel’s POV“Authentic Authentics got a partnership with Valentines Conglomerate?” My eyes widened as I watched the vice president of the Valentines Conglomerate shake hands with Diana.“Is Rebecca getting back at me?” I muttered, recalling the moment I saw her leaving Chris Bruno’s VIP room that night, her smirk lingering in my memory.“This can’t be a coincidence,” I said, pacing around the room.Problems piled up around me like a landslide, and I didn’t know which to tackle first. As I thought about Rebecca, another thought about Emmanuella stabbed through my mind. I sank into the chair. My head felt as if it were filled with lead. If I claimed to have control over my life, I’d be lying. I was lost, desperate for someone to lead me to clarity. But who could be that guide?This was Madena, a place where nobody had time for anyone else’s problems. There was no sense of community. If you were lucky enough to marry a decent partner, you might have companionship. But if you were fooli
Gabriel's POVBack in college, I got into trouble—I beat up a girl for bullying me relentlessly. I thought it was justified—a moment of righteous anger. But then she turned out to be the mayor’s daughter, and my world crumbled. Luke was the one I called when I felt the walls closing in. He didn’t hesitate. He silenced her permanently. That one act became the first domino in the series of events that landed him in prison.We used to have a spot near the college where we’d meet whenever trouble brewed—a place hidden from prying eyes. Tonight, I was headed there again. Mandena hadn’t changed much, but I had. I was no longer the scared, reckless boy I once was—or so I told myself.When I arrived, Luke was already waiting, leaning against the cement bench, a cigarette dangling between his fingers. The glowing ember burned like a warning in the dark.“You’re late,” he barked, his voice slicing through the silence of the empty street.“Sorry,” I muttered, taking a seat beside him. The bench
Rebecca’s POVPatience wasn’t my strong suit, but I found it occasionally rewarding. As the partnership of Authentic Authentics with the Valentines Coglomerate aired across multiple news outlets, I leaned into my network to amplify its visibility and maximize sales.As a businesswoman, selling came naturally to me. Leveraging connections? That was second nature. My first step had been simple yet effective: ensuring the store made headlines. Now, nearly everyone in Mandena knew about Authentic Authentics. If not all, then certainly the majority.The second step was to ensure the event’s success by drawing in influential personalities. People are naturally drawn to success, and when they see prominent figures frequent a place, it cements an unshakable trust in its authenticity.I composed a message, deliberate and precise:“I will be hosting an exclusive event showcasing luxurious goods at Authentic Authentics. Your presence would be an honor.”I sent it to an elite group of contacts—the
Gabriel’s POVShocked by the news, I couldn’t hold myself together any longer. It felt like a massive blow to the face.“The Authentic Authentics and Rebecca pulled that off?” I muttered in disbelief. It was surreal, like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.This revelation pushed me into a deeper pit of despair. The entire day was a haze—I didn’t leave the couch where I had slept. I couldn’t even muster the energy to brush my teeth or take a bath.My business felt like a sinking boat. Water had seeped in, and no matter how desperately I paddled, I knew it was only a matter of time before it capsized.I sighed. “What am I supposed to do now?”My mind wandered through an endless desert of thoughts, parched for a solution. None came. I had tried everything—to partner with Lorenzo, then with Chris—and failed each time.Another partnership with a prominent figure crossed my mind, someone who could turn things around. But the idea was as fragile as the others.“What if it fails again?” I t
Gabriel's POV“Aunt Racheal?” I exclaimed, rising abruptly from the couch as she strode into my living room unannounced, dragging a battered suitcase behind her.“Why have you been ignoring my calls, Gabriel?” She snapped, her sharp tone cutting through the air. She didn’t bother with greetings. “You know if you ignored me, I’d show up myself! You think you can avoid me forever?”I sighed, running a hand through my disheveled hair. “I’ve been busy, Aunt Racheal. Life’s been... complicated.”Her frown deepened as she dropped the suitcase by the wall, crossing her arms. “Complicated? What’s so complicated that you can’t answer your phone? Your uncle is sick, Gabriel! So sick he might die. Do you want him to die? Is that what you want?”Her voice trembled with faux urgency, but I wasn’t buying it.“Sick again, huh?” I said with a bitter chuckle. “Or is this another one of your scripts?”Her face twisted in indignation. “How dare you, child! Your uncle needs $10,000—at least—to get proper
Gabriel's POVI couldn’t say it enough—I regretted divorcing Rebecca. She was everything a good woman should be, and I was a fool for not realizing it sooner.If I could turn back time, I’d do whatever it took to have her back. Right now, though, this very second, I was trapped—ensnared by the witch who held my darkest secret over me. The secret I couldn’t afford to let slip.I stumbled out of the house, needing air to clear my thoughts. The night was cool, but it did little to calm the storm raging inside me. Aunt Racheal—my rock since childhood, the woman who raised me after my parents died—was in that house. And she’d just been humiliated by the woman I married.It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Emmanuella was supposed to be my partner, my equal—not my tormentor. I paced back and forth on the sidewalk, my mind racing. Aunt Racheal must be seething in the guest room, hurt and furious. And she had every right to be.I couldn’t let this slide. I had to do something—anything—to fix t
Emmanuella’s POVI walked down the stairs, my smirk wide and my laughter echoing through the empty hall. That useless woman Gabriel called his "aunt" had finally left.Did he really think I’d fall for that? Gabriel was lying. I’d seen this game before in my previous marriage, and I wasn’t about to play the fool again. I knew how to handle deceitful men and their "secret visitors."Now, with a second-chance husband, was history going to repeat itself? Over my dead body.I collapsed onto the couch, flipping on the TV. The news wasn’t showing—just some wildlife documentary about predators hunting their prey. How fitting. I couldn’t help but let my mind drift to Roy.Earlier today, while I was at his place, he had gotten bolder with me. The food I’d brought? He barely glanced at it.“I want to eat you first,” he’d said, his voice low and full of promise, before sweeping me off my knees and carrying me to his bedroom.I smiled to myself, my fingers absentmindedly brushing my lips as I remem
Gabriel POV“You owe me double now!” Luke leaned at me the instant Gomelo walked away and had his seat. His voice was firm. And his face showed that he was not joking around.He turned from me and went to sit at the table he was before. Just then, the bell rang and the system voice blared.“To the bath hall now!”As the voice blared, I hadn’t even eaten any spoon of the food served when the jailers moved into the mess hall and snatched our plates from us.I looked around, it seemed I was the only one who didn’t have the time to eat.“Looks like you would starve the entire day, Pumpkin!” Gomelo snarled as one of the jailers snatched my plate from my table. And I immediately got up on my feet.“Move it!” the jailer ordered, and I simply obeyed.As I walked on to join the queue, Gomelo smirked boldly, and his crew were also in the same way.While we walked out of the mess hall, each one of us went directly to the bath hall. Though I didn’t know which way it was, I followed right behind t
Gabriel’s POVAfter we filed in from the queue, the door leading into the yard was locked, and we were all in the prison building.Not knowing where the mess hall was or what the mess hall was all about, I knew I must be there just as the system blared—or else? I didn’t want any problem for myself.I followed behind some prisoners who seemed not to have my time towards something that looked like a large room.All prisoners were going inside the room. They were all grabbing their seats. Each of them with their crew sat together.Stepping through the door to this large room, I saw that the mess hall was indeed a dining hall. It was a place all prisoners must gather in large numbers to eat.Hence, there were many wooden tables and benches in this room. One table had two benches by its sides, and each table was filled with prisoners, except one table at the last edge, which had no one sitting on it.I lowered my head, my heart racing from what Gomelo told me earlier. I knew since I steppe
Rebecca’s POVEver since Gabriel had been arrested, I felt better within myself. Mandena was no place for a criminal. Such a criminal who had the mind to hire to kill not one person but persons just so that he wanted them gone?I was pleased to watch the news, to watch as he was being moved to prison in the large bus down the isolated road and forever be gone being punished for his crime.It was at this moment, I knew my revenge was over. Now I needed to move on with my life.I was married to Gabriel, he divorced me and attempted to kill me. I lost my mother, I vouched for revenge. And now that he has been moved away? It was time to give love a second chance.So many others would say I was a damaged woman. A woman who had gone through mindset pollution. A woman who could, because of a revenge against her ex-husband, create business entities to strike him. Such a woman might be avoided by men.But what if I made them understand it was not all what it seemed? And that I was a good perso
Gabriel’s POVWithout much delay, I was moved to a solitary cell. This cell was far from the one they had taken me to earlier. It was isolated in its own corridor and so small that if I stretched my arms while standing at the center, my fingers would touch both walls.The heat inside was unbearable, as if I was boiling my own skin just by being here. But, of course, it was still better than getting raped.I sank my head onto my knees in the corner of the cell. There was a bed, but I couldn't bring myself to sleep on it.I had seen bedbugs crawling on the mattress. And from what I knew about those tiny bloodsuckers, they were like vampires—feeding on me until morning. Sleeping curled up in a corner was the better option.The Next Morning“Hey! Seen the motherfucker who got saved last night?!”A muscular prisoner taunted me, poking at me the moment we stepped into the yard.I didn’t know what this yard was for, but the moment the bell rang, the cell doors automatically unlocked. Then, a
Gabriel’s POVThe prisoner fell to the floor, helplessly nursing his wounds. Yet, no one cared.I saw their eyes widen. All they cared about was staring at me—getting a closer look at me.To this effect, the muscular one began to unbutton his jumpsuit while licking his lips and chuckling wickedly.The rest behind him were the same. “Come!” each of them murmured, their voices low like mocking whispers.“Let the president taste you first, then you can go around for the rest of us.”Just then, I saw the muscular one pull out his penis. It was already hard, veins protruding from the top.My heart pounded. It felt like the floor should open up and swallow me whole. My breathing quickened as I took backward steps until my back hit the metal door of the cell.“You can’t run, pussy. Get over here. It’s been a while since we’ve had anyone to fuck,” the muscular one said. Then, suddenly, he grabbed me and shoved me against the wall.“Yes!” The other prisoners in the cell began cheering him on l
Gabriel’s POVIt was as if the Judge already had a private meeting with the police or with Rebecca herself. He didn’t even allow my attorney to say much before he canceled everything he said and was to say.“Gabriel Moretti, you are sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor!” he declared, and immediately, the police grabbed me and tossed me into the prison van.The prison was a long journey away from Mandena. I didn’t know where we were, but I knew we passed through the desert somewhat, passed through many deserted roads and many valleys and hills.The prison was so far away that any prisoner who tried to escape, either by luck or by strategy, would not be able to make it alive back into the city. It was from this instance, I knew I was dead.Arriving at the prison, “Move it, everybody!” the jailer who sat in the van with us shouted at the top of his voice.He held a bludgeon stick in his hand. It was made of metal such that when he hit it on any erring prisoner, such a prisoner
Gabriel’s POVI saw the signboard “Goodbye Mandena” up above. And I just smirked like a victorious soldier who had conquered wars and was returning home.Seeing the above signboard, I knew that I had already escaped being arrested in Mandena.Mandena was a city in the large country of Manderin. But after Mandena was another country because Mandena was at the end of Manderin and we were bordered by the country of Philadelphia.Philadelphia was a country whereby people running from the government in Mandena could escape because of their lawlessness and, at the same time, rigid constitution to external pressure.They believed any government interference from an outside country was already encroaching on their national security, and as for this, they always failed to cooperate unless, of course, the external country wanted war.This was why Manderin and Philadelphia did not always see eye to eye, even as we were neighboring countries to one another.Seeing Philadelphia just a little mile
Luke’s POVOne thing about me was that I never miscalculated. After the nonsense Rebecca spewed, of which she thought she said something that made sense, I studied her securities and saw that each of them was carried away looking at another angle, careful not to let any unwanted encroachment near the restaurant.And so with this, I knew that if I pulled my trigger at this instance, I could get my aim done and then fight my way out of this restaurant. At least, I was not using my real face; I was wearing a realistic mask, and I could get away pretty easily.“You don’t want to do that. Trust me!” Rebecca said to me with a firm and confident voice.Was she insane?When a gun was pointed even at the bravest person on earth, such a person should blink a type of fear because their life was in the hands of the person pointing the gun at them.But for Rebecca?How was she able to stay confident in the face of death?“I will fucking blow your head off,” I said, pushing the gun closer to her hea
Gabriel’s POVMy hand trembled as I saw that the internet was all about me right now. They talked about how I have hired a criminal to do some operations for me and all of that.My heart raced. “Who was the reporter who posted this news?” I scanned each of the words in the article of the news, but I didn’t see any reporter's name.This was a perfect job to implicate me, and I swear it was working because even the television news seemed to be majoring on my matter right now.Even on the radio news, each channel was screaming my name,“Gabriel Moretti!”“I need to get out of this city,” I muttered briskly to myself as I paced around the house.Instantly, I caught my car keys and dashed out of the house.To everything I own, it was not important. I was back to square one, and even this moment was worse than square one because each person knew who I was.It got worse when another piece of evidence got to the internet.I saw this on the billboard as I was driving very fast away from Manden