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Chapter 1
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2024-10-10 13:55:50“Move already!” I muttered under my breath, frustration bubbling over as I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, staring at the taillights of the car in front of me.
The traffic hadn’t moved in what felt like an eternity. I leaned forward, peering through the windshield as if somehow that would make the line budge. Nothing. Finally, I slammed my hand on the horn, earning a scornful look from the driver to my right. I was hopelessly impatient, though I didn’t like to admit it. I couldn’t say this was atypical behavior for me, but I had a good reason. Today was my marriage anniversary. Marcus and I had been married for two years, and seventy percent of the time, he was the perfect husband. He knew all the most romantic restaurants in town, still surprised me with flowers, and when he asked about my day, he actually listened to my answers and asked appropriate follow-up questions. But thirty percent of the time, he was so stubborn, I could scream. Lately, there had been a few hiccups in our marriage, but I planned to smooth things out starting tonight. I had taken note of the numerous hints he’d thrown my way over the past few weeks about getting a grand gift for him. I’d been indecisive about what to get but finally settled on a Cartier watch. “Santos de Cartier,” the saleslady had said proudly before reeling off its qualities, which I forgot as soon as they left her mouth. The only thing that mattered was that it looked elegant and was quite expensive, so I hoped he’d be happy with his gift. I hoped to score well this year because you could never tell with him. His tastes changed all the time. For one, he had never worn the silk tie I got him the previous year. I was still learning about Marcus. All my friends had scolded me for marrying him too quickly, my parents included. We met in a coffee shop one day—I tripped and spilled my drink right next to his table, and he insisted on buying me a new one. It was one of those love-at-first-sight deals. When I saw him, I fell hard for his blond hair streaked with even blonder strands. His blue eyes were the color of the sky on a clear day and rimmed with pale lashes. Three months later, when I stood at the altar, looking at a banner that read “Marcus & Anna,” I couldn’t quite believe it myself as I was giddy with joy. A clichéd honeymoon in Paris had deepened our love even further. I sighed as I thought of all those dreamy moments. Too bad they seemed so far away, and I was now stuck in traffic. The worst part was that it was snowing. It had started a few hours ago, just when I’d left work. At first, they were cute little white flakes that evaporated on contact with the ground. Over the last hour, the flakes had quadrupled in size. They weren’t cute anymore. And now that I had turned off the highway, the more deserted, narrow road leading to my house was slick with snow. And it wasn’t like I was in a truck; I was in a BMW, which meant I had to be extra careful since we had only just gotten it recently. As I impatiently tapped my fingers on the wheel, my phone buzzed. I glanced down to see an email notification. I normally wouldn’t check it, but I figured it could be from work. As it turned out, it was from my bank. As I read the first line, the heading threw me off guard, and my heart skipped a beat. As if on cue, the BMW skidded on a patch of slushy ice because my fingers were bloodless on the steering wheel. I righted the vehicle, but my heart was pounding, and I pulled over to the side of the road. “Notice of Default and Intent to Foreclose” was written boldly at the beginning of the email. My head was reeling in confusion as I was genuinely shocked. I had been faithful with the payment of the mortgage monthly ever since the initial down payment. It told on my account as a sizeable part of my income went into the house payment. Infact I was the only one paying all of it since I was making much more than Marcus. On his suggestion, I had given him the rein to handle my finances and bills since I was always busy with work so he had access to my bank accounts. I had only recently logged into this mail account which was why I was only now getting it. My eyes quickly scanned through the content till it settled on the last ominous paragraph. Failure to Cure: If the total amount due is not paid by October 15, 2024, the foreclosure process will continue, and your property may be sold at a public auction. You may lose ownership of your home, and legal action may be taken against you to recover any outstanding debt. If you do not take action, the foreclosure sale is scheduled as follows: Foreclosure Sale Date: November 1, 2024 Time: 11:00 AM… My thoughts trailed away as I closed the mail and scrolled down to check the other mails. My eyes widened as I saw more mails of payment defaults. We had indeed been missing out on the payments for quite some time now. Thousands of dollars overdue. My chest tightened as I realized the implications. Not just the house. Everything we had worked for was on the line. With shaky hands, I quickly dialed Marcus’s number but it went straight to voicemail. “Marcus, there's an issue with the mortgage I don't understand. Call me when you get this,” I muttered, dropping a message for him. I slammed my phone down, my heart racing as I pulled back onto the road. The snow was coming down heavier now, swirling in a blinding dance, but I couldn’t focus on the weather. I needed answers. When I finally pulled into our driveway, I spotted Marcus’s car parked haphazardly near the entrance. The sight sent a wave of relief through me. He was home. But as I stepped out of the BMW, the chill in the air felt more like a warning than a backdrop to my anniversary. I rushed inside, shaking off the snowflakes clinging to my coat. “Marcus!” I called out, but my voice echoed back at me, swallowed by the silence of the house. I spotted him in the living room, staring out the window, his posture tense. “Hey,” I said, my stomach twisting with dread. “We need to talk.” He turned to me, a strange mix of surprise and apprehension on his face. The warm glow of the living room lights did little to melt the icy knot in my chest. “Babe, what’s wrong?” “It's about the mortgage payments,” I started, my voice faltering as I took a step closer. “I got an email from the bank. We’re in default, Marcus. How could this happen?” The room felt heavy, and for a moment, he just stood there, eyes wide but vacant. Then, I caught it—a flicker of guilt in his eyes. It was there and gone before I could process it that I thought it was all in my head. “I have been using the money to settle some things,” Marcus said, straightening his posture as he stared coldly at me.
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My head spinned as I saw and heard his reaction to the news I told him. I had been expecting him to be as surprised as I was but this new coldness was surprising. He knew what was going on.“Babe, what do you mean by that,” I asked with a straight face but inwardly I was scared of the answer I was going to get because I had a vague idea of what he was going to say.“There’s this new business idea…,” He started to say but I cut him off before he could continue.“Oh no, not again. I thought we were over this. You promised it would never happen again without you consulting me first.”The hiccups in our marriage so far had been arguments about finances. Marcus had a small investment company which he had started shortly before we got married. Though he was very secretive about the details of how it ran, it was clear that it wasn't fetching much. It wasn't the only business he had, there were several other things he began and left halfway. Since he had access to my accounts, thousands of do
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The world came back to me, blurry at first but gradually sharpening into focus. I was surprised to see myself on the floor, my back against the bed frame. As I tried to stand up, my head throbbed sharply and I ceased moving instantly."Anna, are you okay?" I heard Marcus' voice. I blinked, trying to steady myself, and saw him kneeling beside me, a damp washcloth in his hand.His face hovered above mine, his expression unreadable. His brow furrowed in what might have been concern but it was hard to tell from this angle."What happened?" I murmured, feeling disconnected from everything around me."You fainted," Marcus said, his tone curt, as if stating a fact rather than expressing worry. "It seems you passed out sometime when I was away. It's been three hours since I left. When I came back, you were out cold."I struggled to sit up, and he helped me into a sitting position. My eyelids were heavy when suddenly the incident that had happened before I lost consciousness came back to me. T
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Marcus handed me the papers without a word. His expression was calm and there was no warmth or regret in his face. It was as though he had rehearsed this moment. I stared at the stack of documents, my heart thudding in my chest. Divorce papers. I don't know why I hadn't thought of it after everything that had happened, but seeing them in front of me drove home the feeling of abandonment.I had been thinking that it was something I could work out but this was the end."Sign them," he said coldly.I couldn’t speak a word and my hands shook as I reached for the pen he offered. My eyes went to his face, searching for any sign of hesitation but there was nothing. Just that blank, indifferent stare.As I resolved to sign it, I thought about all the times we’d laughed together, the nights we had stayed up talking about our future, and the promises we’d made. I thought about how I’d loved him, even after the arguments, after the lies, after everything. Each stroke of the pen felt like anot
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Dorian's POV The view from my office window never gets old. A skyline of glass and steel, lately it has become something of a hobby of mine to watch the view every day. It is therapeutic, to say the least. It was just when the rest of the working populace was starting their day and as I looked down on them from my vantage point, I tried to guess what they did for a living. One would think you could size up the working force by their clothing but you'd be dead wrong. The higher-ups sometimes wore scrawny outfits, while those at the bottom dressed sharply to impress. You could usually tell by their walking pace, their eyes, and, of course, their cars. Not that I later found out if I was right or not, I could be wrong for all I know. With a heavy sigh, I turned away from the window, letting the heavy silence of my office settle over me. The day was just beginning but I was already bored. My spacious office is a symbol of wealth—Italian leather, rare art pieces, polished mahogany
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Anna’s POV“You can go on now, he's ready to see you, his office is that door over there,” The lady with a tablet who I assumed to be Dorian's P.A told me after speaking into an intercom.“Thank you,” I said, rising to my feet. I was relieved as I prepared to go in. It was a good thing I had come early because I had been stopped and interrogated severally on the ground floor before making my way up here.They took security seriously which was understandable given their large size. Dorian was a household name when it came to business as a whole as they dabbled in different things. It was a surprise that I had never associated Daniel with the family while in school. It only showed how humble he was or maybe it was for his own security as our school hadn't exactly been Ivy league worthy.I watched the girl scurry away to attend to other business as she jabbered to someone through the airpod she was wearing.I reached the office, inhaled deeply and then knocked. I had a baritone voice f
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Anna's POVI was trying to process what had happened at the office with Dorian. I had gone to his office to seek help and had gotten a job offer instead. Something in his tone suggested to me that it wasn't just a passing thought or a hasty decision done in the heat of the moment. Dorian seemed like someone adept at reading people and who only took decisions after carefully weighing his options. He was serious, and that both excited and scared me.As I walked down the street, I fumbled with my phone, pulling up Daniel's number. I needed to talk to someone, and who better than the person who has linked me up with Dorian in the first place.The phone rang twice before his familiar voice came through. "Anna? How did it go?"I exhaled, leaning against a lamppost as the busy city bustled around me. "It went... different than I expected," I admitted, my voice still a little shaky from everything I was feeling."Different how? Did he turn you down," he asked. His tone was soft, but I cou
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Anna’s POV I opened my eyes, and closed it shut when it came in contact with the light. My head felt heavy and I felt stiff all over. I opened my eyes again this time, it had already adjusted to the light, and then it hit me... I was in a hospital. I was lying in the hospital bed. I tried raising my hands but I noticed an IV hooked up to my arms. It was beeping and it was loud.I tried sitting up but I felt a sharp pain, which made me give up quickly and fell back down on the bed. I exhaled and inhaled trying to remember how I ended up in a hospital. My memory betrayed me as I felt blank as I tried to come up with anything. The text... Dorian texted me... I had dressed up and prepared for the date. I remembered getting into a car. But that was all... Blank. I couldn't remember what happened after that.“Hello?” I called in a whisper.I waited, staring at the door, waiting for someone...anyone to come and tell me what had brought me to the hospital.Finally, a nurse walked in, carry
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Beyond the betrayal Chapter 124
Anna's POV "You were meant to be an experiment," Dr. Reinhardt said to me leaning over to emphasise his words.I wondered what I had done to warrant the attention of this mad German scientist. I knew though that it had to be because of Dorian mixing up with the wrong crowd.The heavy door behind Reinhardt hissed open and a guard in a black uniform stepped in and Reinhardt nodded toward me."Prepare her for transport."I yanked at the restraints with all the strength I could summon. I wasn’t going to let them win like this.The guard moved closer and just then the lights flickered.The sudden dimming made Reinhardt pause and looked up at the overhead lamps which buzzed as if it was struggling for power. Then, in a blink, red emergency lights flooded the room.A low alarm groaned through the facility and the pitch kept increasing.Something was wrong.Reinhardt’s expression tightened as he turned toward the guard. "Find out what—"~BOOM!!!~The entire room shook and dust rained down
Beyond the betrayal Chapter 123
Sophia's POV Before I could react, hands grabbed me from behind, yanking me backward. I thrashed around but they were too strong. A sharp sting burst across my skull as someone struck me, my vision blurring with pain."Dorian—" I barely managed before they forced me down.I caught a glimpse of him fighting, moving like a blur—until a taser’s electric crackle filled the air. His body convulsed, muscles locking up as he collapsed.“Dorian!”A thick bag was shoved over my head, muffling my scream. Then—darkness.When I came to, my head throbbed like I’d been hit by a freight train. My body was heavy, sluggish. I tried to move, but resistance met me—straps. Thick, unyielding. My wrists, my ankles, even my torso were pinned to a cold metal table.Panic surged through me. My breath came in ragged gasps as my mind raced. Where was I? Where was Dorian?Footsteps. Slow, deliberate.A shadow passed over me, the dim overhead light shifting. Then, a voice—smooth, practiced, unsettling.“Anna.”
Beyond the betrayal Chapter 122
Anna's POV The train rocked gently as it sped through the tunnels and Dorian and I were pressed into a corner near the doors, heads down as we tried to blend in. My heart was still beating rapidly as I was jittery from what we had gone through.Across the car, a man in a dark jacket shifted slightly, glancing at his phone. I stiffened. Was he watching us? Or was my paranoia getting the best of me?Dorian must have noticed my tension because he leaned in, voice low. “Stay calm. If they had people on the train, we’d know by now.”I nodded, but the tension coiled in my chest refused to ease. The train rattled through the tunnels, fluorescent lights flickering overhead. Everything felt like a threat and I hated how jumpy I felt, not that I could help it.Dorian’s grip on my wrist tightened—a silent reassurance. “Breathe,” he murmured.The man in the dark jacket stood, heading for the next car. I tracked his movements until he disappeared.Still, the unease remained.“We need to get off
Beyond the betrayal Chapter 121
Anna's POV The neon light of the rundown motel flickered as Dorian parked the motorcycle behind the building, out of sight from the main road. My legs were shaking as I came down, barely catching myself before my knees gave out. Every muscle in my body ached, but I forced myself to move. We couldn’t rest yet.Dorian scanned the empty lot, his sharp eyes searching for threats. When he was satisfied we weren’t being followed, he gestured for me to follow. The motel’s chipped paint and broken sign told me everything I needed to know—no security cameras, no questions asked.Inside, the air smelled of stale cigarettes and mildew. The receptionist barely glanced at us as Dorian handed over cash, securing a key without a word. He didn’t ask how long we’d stay, and I was grateful for that.The moment we stepped into the room, I locked the door and sagged against it, pressing my forehead to the cold wood. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving only exhaustion and the lingering terror of how
Beyond the betrayal Chapter 120
Anna's POVThe cold night air was too much for me as we ran past Berlin’s darkened alleys. The city lights were particularly bright but we kept to the shadows so we wouldn't be seen.My heart pounded as I ran but I kept moving. Dorian’s grip on my hand was firm, pulling me forward, guiding me as if he could sense the safest paths.We barely spoke, just exchanged quick glances as we wove through the streets. Dorian tried calling the organization’s emergency line, his jaw tightening when no one answered. A second call. Nothing. The third went straight to voicemail. He cursed under his breath. We were on our own.The weight of that realization pressed down on me. Whoever had attacked us knew exactly where we were. They had planned this. And now, with our protectors possibly dead, we had no backup. No weapons. No safe place to go. I shuddered as I feared what they'd do if they caught us. A distant shout echoed behind us, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. My stomach twisted. The
Beyond the betrayal Chapter 119
Dorian's POV That night, as soon as we were alone in the hotel room, words became unnecessary as we rushed at each other. The tension and the raw emotions that had been simmering beneath my skin all burst free the moment I kissed her. Anna melted into me, her fingers threading through my hair as if afraid I would disappear.I wasn’t sure if this was real or some cruel illusion, but I didn’t care. She was warm, solid, alive—and that was all that mattered.We spent the night tangled together, whispering each other’s names and relearning the feel of one another’s bodies. Every touch was urgent, every kiss desperate, as if making up for lost time. And when exhaustion finally claimed us, I held her close, unwilling to let go even in sleep.The next morning, sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains, casting golden patterns on the bed. Anna stirred beside me, her bare skin warm against mine. I watched her face for a moment, memorizing the peaceful rise and fall of her breathing, the way
Beyond the betrayal Chapter 118
Dorian's POV I stared uninterestedly at the runway as the plane shuddered to a stop, and the seatbelt sign dings off. I stood up, unbuckled and lurched forward, only to be stopped by the wall of bodies cramming the aisle and I was almost pushed over.I scowled deeply when people began yanking their bags from the overhead compartments like it was a race, the same way Americans did. It was everything different from what I thought Germany to be.Someone’s backpack swung dangerously close to my face and I ducked. I gripped the armrest, exhaling through my nose as I waited for the madness of the economy class to die down.I glanced at my phone—no signal yet. The flight attendant was smiling that tired, practiced smile, reminding us to be orderly. No one listened. The line inched forward, the guy ahead of me struggling with an overstuffed duffel. I shifted my weight impatiently, my carry-on wedged between my feet. The air was hotter and stuffier, like the plane itself was urging us to lea
Beyond the betrayal Chapter 117
Beth's POV I woke up the next morning pensive and annoyed, partly because I had a restless night punctuated with brief dreams and overthinking. I was motionless for a minute as I tried to remember the details of the dream but gave up when I couldn't recall it.I looked at my phone and groaned as I saw the time. I had overslept which was something that happened rarely as I was a stickler for routine. With a manic burst of energy, I got up and began preparing for work. I needed no one to tell me that my day was only going to get more weird.Once my schedule was broken, it was only natural that the rest of the day became shitty. I knew that much from experience.My pensive mood continued as I drove to the office and I only heard my name after I had been called at least thrice. I snapped at Brenda when she got in my business then asked her to call a mandatory meeting for all employees.She didn't hurry to do it but hesitated a bit and I knew she was curious as to why I was calling a me
Beyond the betrayal Chapter 116
“What do you think about all this, Aldred?”As Rey’s question echoed in the air, Aldred gave a knowing smile—as if he already expected the question.“It’s probably a ruse. The actual Warehouse must be hidden underground.” Rey made a slight grimace underneath his mask.‘Just as I suspected…’Even with this discovery, it didn’t change what they had to do. ‘We still have to invade. The entrance to the underground passage must be here somewhere.’Rey almost felt like he was invading the territory of a mafia group or some sort of cartel. He hadn’t done it before, but it seemed like this was how it would feel.“This establishment is run by Evals Redart, the biggest guy in business in the South.” Aldred went on, his tone still retaining the same hint of amusement from earlier.“I don’t imagine that we’d run into him here, but if we do, then the KariBlanc Group would like to stay out of it.”Rey let out a sigh and shrugged lightly.“I hadn’t planned for both of you to come inside with me a
