Gabriel really messed up. I wished this was not his fate though. Perhaps in the next life, he will live his life differently. Sigh!
Rebecca’s POVBreaking news spread like wildfire across Mandena. The voice of the newscaster echoed through my quiet living room.“A certain prisoner, Gabriel Moretti, has been unalived by electrocution,” the news anchor announced, her tone professional but laced with intrigue.My breath hitched. My entire body went still, my hands frozen in place.On the screen, Gabriel’s picture appeared, a mugshot I had never seen before. His sharp features looked almost lifeless, even in a still image. It felt surreal, like an illusion.How was this possible?Just a few days ago, he had been sentenced to prison. And now—he was dead?The remote slipped from my grasp, landing on the plush carpet with a soft thud. My pulse pounded in my ears as I leaned forward, my eyes glued to the television. The house around me seemed to disappear.I was alone in the living room, though the mansion was far from empty. My housekeepers, bodyguards, and chefs were somewhere in the massive estate, going about their du
Micah’s POV“What do you mean they stole everything? What exactly did they take?” Rebecca asked me almost immediately, her brows furrowing with concern.I should have planned this better. I had to admit, I hadn't. I should have known she would ask me for details. I should have prepared a solid answer, something airtight. But now, standing here, caught off guard, my mind spun like a top. I needed the perfect excuse—one that would evoke her sympathy, making her feel obligated to help me.After all, what was the use of her wealth if not to support her boyfriend?Ever since things had taken a turn for the worse in my life, I had been desperate to get back on my feet. And not just any kind of recovery—I needed to return to the life I had always dreamed of. The latest cars, lavish vacations, an existence where I had everything at my fingertips.And now, with Rebecca in my life, someone so rich and generous, it would be foolish not to seize the opportunity.I swallowed hard, ensuring my worr
Rebecca’s POVI've heard about how unconcerned some landlords can be in Mandena. People complained a lot. Some wouldn’t even have overdue rent, yet the landlord would still give them an eviction letter.“My landlord… he gave me an eviction notice. He said he hates me because I’m not a native of Mandena,” Micah said to me, and I knew it was nothing but the truth.I sighed deeply, feeling a pang of sympathy for him. It was unfair, but not unheard of. Mandena had a history of being unkind to outsiders, and Micah, with his soft-spoken demeanor and foreign accent, was an easy target.Without thinking, I reached out and held his hand tightly. He was a man who genuinely needed help, and I had already helped him financially. But was that enough? If we were truly in love, shouldn’t I be willing to support him in times of need, not just with money but with shelter too?Though I knew the 30K I had just sent him could get him a comfortable place and cover his rent for up to ten months, another tho
Micah’s POVThe saying was not wrong when it said that men are controlled by what they see, and women are controlled by what they hear.Look at how I got here. Did I not control Rebecca to allow her to accept me in her mansion by the lies I told her?It was the next morning, and the sun rose just too early.As the sun rose, I opened my eyes to the beautiful room Rebecca had given me to serve as my room until I would be back on my feet and leave her mansion.But would I truly be back on my feet and leave this mansion?A silent dark grin spread across my cheek. At this moment, I began to hear some sounds downstairs, so I got out of bed and went downstairs.Getting downstairs, I saw Rebecca, sweetly dressed in her perfectly fitted suit and pants. Her luxurious bag lay by her side on the dining table as she was eating breakfast.“Oh, Micah!” she sounded as soon as she saw me.“I didn’t know you’d be up so early,” she said.I chuckled at her words, “Why wouldn’t I be up so early? I need to
Micah’s POV.The good thing about being that home boyfriend was always that you could do anything and everything you want in as much as that very girlfriend of yours was not home.While Rebecca headed out of the house, little courtesy demanded that I follow her to the entrance door, watched her slide into the limo, and I waved at her.The instant I saw that the limo drove through the gate out, I immediately smirked.Evelyn was a perfect figure that couldn’t leave my head since yesterday. In the same manner, Mirabel was also another figure that joined Evelyn in my head.Two sure beauties, so beautiful that I almost mistook them for river goddesses.I went back to dining and continued eating my food. When I was done, I voiced, alerting that I was done eating.“Chef Mirabel?!”I didn’t know if that was a thing around here. But it was something I did nonetheless.Calling her name, she walked out to me. She smiled, reaching the dining and packed my plate.Just then, I licked my lips. A woma
Evelyn’s POV“CRASH!” I barged the door open suddenly.I had been hearing strange sounds from the room I was keeping. This was something that had never happened before in Madam Rebecca’s mansion, even at times when she was not home.Madam Rebecca always loved quietness, gentleness, calmness, and every aspect of peace in her home. Because of this, we maintained a deep respect for her, ensuring that silence reigned even in her absence.So, for me to hear sounds, like someone screaming for her life, was highly unusual. It pricked my curiosity and set my nerves on edge.I stepped out of my room and moved cautiously down the stairs, each step slow and deliberate, trying to determine exactly where the strange screaming sound was coming from.Madam Rebecca’s mansion was equipped with a soundproof system, ensuring minimal to no noise ever filtered through. Yet, despite that, I couldn’t shake off the faint sound I was hearing—a voice calling out, as though someone needed help.As I reached th
Micah’s POVThe sharp pang of pain in my head was unbearable, but I had no time to dwell on it. I had been hit, and if I didn’t act fast, those fuckers would run to the guards and expose what I just did.In Mandena, attempting r*pe was an unforgivable crime. And now, not only had I done this to Chef Mirabel, but someone I didn’t recognize had barged in, smacked something hard against my head, and helped her escape.I needed to find them. Fast. I had to make sure they kept their mouths shut—no matter what it took.Forcing my aching body to move, I lifted my head and looked toward the door. It was still swung wide open, and through it, I spotted two heads peeking into the kitchen. Their eyes were filled with terror.As I focused, recognition hit me.Mirabel and Evelyn.So, it was Evelyn who had struck me. That little bitch had barged in and smashed my head with something hard enough to knock me out.A slow, seething rage built inside me. Instantly, I took a step forward. I had to catch
Natasha’s POVWhen Rebecca hit me up on WhatsApp, I was in the office, my fingers dancing furiously on the keyboard alongside the other professional hackers who were my colleagues. We were all focused, hunting down a cybercriminal who was seconds away from scamming an elderly American woman out of her entire life savings—a whopping $100,000.“Gotcha!” I muttered under my breath as I finally cracked through his encrypted network, unveiling his real identity on my laptop screen. Without wasting another second, I forwarded the information directly to the FBI, ensuring that those bastards would be caught before they could inflict any more damage.Just as I finished, my phone beeped. I barely had time to take a breath before glancing at the notification. The moment I saw Rebecca’s name flash across my screen, I knew I couldn’t ignore it.Rebecca was more than just a friend; she was my family, my ride-or-die, my sister in every way except by blood. There was no way I wouldn’t pick up my pho
Cassian’s POV Immediately our lips touched, and that I saw her lean back like we had done something we shouldn’t out of the blue, out of the emotions that poured out of our discussion, I felt a wave of uncertainty. “I am sorry,” I quickly said. I didn’t want to lose her. Even when I wanted to pursue a relationship with her, I wanted it to start up slowly, making sure she fully accepted me before I properly asked her out so that I wouldn’t receive the same "No" of an answer I got back in college. “It’s okay,” she said the instant I apologized. Then I saw her hold my hands again. She looked at my lips and leaned slowly closer. “The truth is,” she whispered as she was coming closer, “We would have been a perfect match,” she said in a whisper. Hence, she kissed me right on the lips. This was like a prayer answered for me. It was like I had just hit a jackpot. And how could the most beautiful woman on earth kiss me and I wouldn’t kiss her in return? I kissed her back, burying my han
Rebecca’s POV Cassian just asked me the question that sent me back to my past. The question rang a bell. I didn’t know why it did, but it did anyway.Could it be because the question was asked by someone whom I rejected because of this very Gabriel?It shot me to the day we had our wedding—how we read our vows and promised each other never to be separated until death did us part.This same question shot me to our wedding night—how we had made love and kissed each other until morning.The memories clung to me, but I forced myself back to the present. I blinked, shaking off the thoughts.“I don’t want to talk about it, please,” I said to him, and I saw the way he nodded his head gently.He looked as if he understood where my pain was coming from, as if he could relate so well—so well that it meant he had also gone through the same fate.I felt somehow that I rejected him an explanation for his harmless question, especially because he understood it just as much as I wanted to avoid it.
Cassian’s POV I walked into the classroom in the hope of teaching my newly admitted student and going back out of there just the way I have always done in the past. Lecturing was fun, yeah right? But at the same time, it was tiring. And most tiring when you have to teach three classes in a day.I heaved out a sigh as I walked through the class entrance door. Then I lifted my head, gazing to the front of the class, the podium, and all of the students' heads. As I was moving my gaze back onto my feet, my eyes stopped as they landed on this particular lady’s head, or should I say hair? The hair color, the crispness to which the head stood on the neck, the way the gentle, beautiful fingers touched gently on her cheeks like the beautiful princess of Persia—it all reminded me of one lady. Rebecca.Back in college, she was everything I wanted to be with. And why this? Her gentle voice when she talked, her beautiful, attractive physique, the way her waist moved when she walked like she was t
Rebecca’s POVCassian was a man I met back in college. He was the top boy whom all the ladies on campus wanted back then—except me, because, of course, I was with Gabriel. He was fucking handsome, and girls flocked around him every now and then, wanting to be his girl. But how ironic—he didn’t want any of them. He only wanted me.We weren’t in the same department back then, but that didn’t stop him. He would come from his department, which was the Department of Project Management, just to watch us and stare at me from a distance. It was something I noticed often, but I never truly acknowledged it until he finally expressed his feelings for me.Back then, I loved Gabriel too much to even consider anyone else. When Cassian confessed, I told him I was with someone else and that it couldn’t work between us. And being a man who valued his self-respect, he backed off. He stopped talking to me ever since, merely waving from afar anytime we crossed paths.At first, I felt offended by his sudd
Rebecca’s POVIt’s been three months since Micah’s sentencing, yet the knowledge still feels fresh, as if the verdict was just announced yesterday. Michel has also been struggling with PTSD. Anytime she is in the kitchen and hears one of the male employees enter—whether to pick something up or deliver a message—she immediately tenses. Her first reaction is always to grab a knife, pointing it instinctively at whoever stands before her.No one blames her. We all understand that healing takes time. According to the doctor, this is the moment when she needs the most support, and I’m determined to be there for her every step of the way.Despite everything, life moves forward. This morning, I decided to arrive at my first lecture early, feeling a sense of renewal as I embarked on this next chapter.A month ago, I applied to further my studies. I realized that returning to school would not only help me heal but also increase my value. In a world dominated by men, I understood that as one of
Micah’s POVWhen Attorney Langford was asked if he had evidence to support his claims, my heart raced even further.Attorney Langford was actually making a lot of sense, enough to prompt the judge into giving me a lesser punishment. But now that she had asked for evidence? I knew Attorney Langford was all mouth and no proof, yet he should have known that words alone wouldn’t work in court—especially not in the Supreme Court of Mandena.I turned to look at Attorney Langford. At the mention of providing evidence, sweat broke out on his forehead. He was clearly trapped. Across from him, Attorney David smirked, and when I passed my gaze toward Rebecca, she smirked too. But she wasn’t even looking at me.It was evident that Attorney Langford had walked straight into a dead end on this case.“Huh… humm…” he stammered, attempting to form a response regarding the evidence.Right there, I dropped my gaze to the floor inside the dock. My hands were trembling now. I could practically see myself
Judge Hilar’s POV“Who is representing the defendant?” Judge Lisa asked as she took her seat. Just then, the courtroom door barged open, and Attorney Victor Langford stepped in.Every attorney in the city knew who Langford was. He was an opportunist attorney, the kind who seized cases others wouldn’t touch. No one hired him because they believed he was too young and inexperienced to handle or win any case. So, he made himself available for any defendant who had no legal representation.If he won, he would demand his payment later. But unfortunately, he was a lawyer who kept proving the public right. He had never won a case since he was called to the bar.My heart froze the moment I saw him enter the courtroom. If by “defendant” attorney, it meant he was the one who would represent me too, then Micah and I were doomed. My pulse quickened at the thought.“My name is Victor Langford, representing the defendant.” I watched as Langford rose to his feet and bowed to the judge, introducing
**Micah’s POV** It didn’t matter how long I waited for the head of the community service to arrive so that I could complete my service for the day and ensure I wouldn’t land in trouble with the government—he never came. Hours passed, yet there was no sign of him. Frustration gnawed at me, but knowing full well that I couldn’t leave the house, I stayed put and waited until the next morning, hoping for clarity. Morning arrived faster than I had anticipated, the sun barely peeking over the horizon when a sudden, resounding knock echoed through my home. My heart froze. The forceful banging sent a chill down my spine, instantly reminding me of the letter I had received the day before. Yesterday had been the 18th. Today was the 19th—the day I was supposed to appear before the Supreme Court of Manderin. My pulse quickened as my mind scrambled for a solution. **"How do I..."****BAM! BAM! BAM!** Another heavy knock jolted me out of my thoughts. Without wasting another second, I rushed to
Micah’s POVThe moment I stepped out of the office, the court officials grabbed me immediately, escorting me straight to the van before tossing me inside.Just as they were about to close the door, I caught sight of Judge Hilar stepping out of his office. He stood by the entrance, his gaze locked onto mine. His eyes were red and swollen as if he had been crying before coming outside.Even as the police vehicle took off, my eyes remained fixed on him until his figure faded into the distance.His words still haunted me, echoing in my mind as if he were standing right next to me, speaking them all over again.Two hours later, we arrived at my home—the same home I had abandoned when I left to be with Rebecca. The officers dragged me out of the van and led me inside. Without hesitation, they fastened a device to my leg, and the moment it snapped into place, a sharp beeping sound filled the air.I knew exactly what this device was. I had seen it in movies countless times—a tracking monitor