Eighteen years ago...
Fiona's POV
The sound of thunder slammed against the roof, killing all the ants that had been seeking shelter. The streets were quieter than usual; no kids playing in the rain, no lovers making out near the field.
The rain fell heavily now, accompanied by lightning. I watched it closely, almost counting the massive drops. My eyes drifted to a car that sped into the compound. I couldn’t see clearly, but it was evident people were stepping out of it.
My door pushed open. It was my mother. It was her birthday, but the look on her face told a different story. "Come here, Gabriella," she called, grabbing my coat from the hanger.
She swiftly packed a good amount of clothes into a box. I watched as she panted, tears streaming down her face.
"What's wrong, Mum?" I heard myself say, tapping her as I spoke.
"Shush," she cautioned, handing the box to me. "Leave through the window."
"But why, Mum?" I cried, holding her tight. "I won’t go anywhere."
She bent down to pull me close, giving me a hug. Something inside told me it was the last hug from my mother, a final goodbye.
"Look," she pulled me away, "a bad group of people are here to send us to the angels up there. You remember the angels I told you about?"
I nodded. "Let’s go together then, Mum. You said it’s fun up there."
"Listen, my love, go to Mrs. Smith. Find your way there and tell her I sent you. You must live quietly all the days of your life. No one must know you’re from this home. Do you understand?"
I cried even harder, but she pushed me away.
"Go, don't turn back, make sure you run far away. Go!" she whispered, watching me jump down from the window. I looked back into the room as a group of men barged in, dragging her by the hair. I covered my mouth, sobbing.
As I ran across the field, darkness fell. I was scared and stopped to go back, but as I turned, a wildfire pushed me down. When I looked up, my house was engulfed in flames.
"Mother! Father!" I wailed, with blood gushing from my head. Though my vision was blurry, I saw the men climb into the car and speed away.
The number plate on the car was unique, not like the ones Father had shown me at his workshop.
My head felt weaker and lighter. I stretched my hand as if to reach out to an invisible being, but before I could move further, a strong force lifted me onto his shoulders.
"Shush, it's me, Gabriella. Don't cry, go to sleep," he patted me on the back as he walked away.
I looked at the house through my dizziness, but there was no house anymore, just flames. The warmth of the fire seemed to melt away all my strength and I finally succumbed to the darkness, drifting into an uneasy sleep.
Fiona's POV"Ahhhhhhh! Fiona!"My eyes snapped open, darting around the room to find the source of the scream. I swung my legs off the bed and rushed to the living room.Of course, it was Isabella, my exuberant girlfriend. Her excitement could only mean one thing: news about a Korean actor or a handsome rich man who had just arrived in London."Guess what, Fiona?" Isabella ran to me, hitting me hard on the back."Ouch," I shouted, returning the slap. "What is it?""He's back, he's back!" Isabella jumped around, gasping for breath."Who's back?" I laughed, walking to the countertop and filling a cup with water from the refrigerator."Alexander Brooks!"My grip loosened on the cup, and it shattered on the floor. Isabella ran to me. "I hope you're fine?" she asked, cleaning the floor.I nodded, hiding my trembling hands. "Who's that again?" I sighed, gaining composure as I walked back into the living room and sat close to Isabella, who giggled at my confusion."Alexander Brooks is London
Fiona's POVThe drive to the Brooks residence which was situated in Chelsea, was a long one, probably an hour. The building was magnificent, likely the most impressive I'd ever seen. It had a sculpture in the middle with water pouring into it from a fountain. The statue was of Harry Brooks, Jordan's father.The security guards stopped me from entering, asking for an invitation card or letter. "I'm sorry, I was sent by City Hospital to treat Mr. Brooks."One lanky guard signaled to let me in.I stepped into the building, my eyes feasting on the luxurious surroundings. As I moved further, a man approached me. "Come with me," he said, leading me into the living room."Wow!" I blurted out, taking in the opulent decor. I stared with a mixture of fury and surprise; they seemed to live well. An enormous artwork caught my attention, but my thoughts were interrupted when a lady in a black dress approached me."You must be Miss Campbell," she said, smiling brightly."Yes, I am," I responded qui
Fiona's POVThe beeps from my phone pierced my deep sleep. I yawned loudly, stretching my weary muscles. The phone rang insistently this time. Hesitantly, I reached to pick it up."Hello, Fiona," his voice jolted me awake. I jumped down from the bed and put the call on speaker."Mister.""I'll be sending the blueprint of the Brooks mansion. The party should serve as a distraction."I pulled off the silky nightgown, revealing my bare skin. "Davis will be at the party. Everything will go as planned. If Jordan is hiding something important, it's closer than we think."The line cracked a little. "Fiona, you need to curb your curiosity for now. Jordan doesn't like people getting too close. Sooner or later, you'll be asked to leave. Get close to Alexander; he's the heir now."I grabbed a towel, wrapping it tightly around myself. "Fine, I won't do anything I'll regret," I said, clearing my throat and hanging up.I wasn't going to listen to him. Besides destroying the Brooks, I needed to know
Alexander's POV It had been ten years since I was last in London. The sight of Brooks House made me nauseous, returning to what I was supposed to call a family, with a father who had married my late mom’s secretary, Anna, and a stepbrother, Leonard. I walked away from Fiona after my secretary, Frederick, signaled I should leave immediately. "What's wrong?" I asked, unbuttoning the wrist of my shirt as I walked into the room. He bowed, closing the door behind him. "Reporters took pictures of you while dancing. I tried to pay one of them to delete the images..." "And the others?" I inquired, pulling off the shirt. "There were just two, and the second was adamant. I'm afraid, sooner or later, the pictures will be up on the internet." Reporters always found a way to mess up my life. The headlines would read: CEO Womanizer Caught Again with a Different Lady, Just as in Hong Kong, Even Though He's Betrothed to the Most Beautiful CEO of Our Time. "Make sure that doesn’t happen. I ha
Fiona's POVIt was already sunset when I stepped into the hotel, knocking on the door to Davis' room, which he opened immediately.I thought hard about what he had found out alongside what had transpired in the Brooks house. So Alexander and Sabrina had a strained relationship. Interesting!The door pushed open, and Davis leaned on it. He had no clothes on, just a towel around his waist. "Who's in with you?" I asked curiously, stretching to see.He pushed my head back with the tip of his finger. "None of your business. Wait outside, I'll be right back," he said as he slammed the door.I stamped my feet, biting my lips as I waited in the corridor. Davis was a scumbag, I thought, as I watched a man stop at a door in the lobby. I looked closer and realized it was Alexander.Swiftly, I ran to the side of the lobby, praying he hadn't seen me. It took five minutes before I walked out; he was gone."Thank goodness," I heaved a sigh. "But what was he doing here?""Who?" Davis whispered.I jum
Alexander's POVI took my suitcase and walked out of the room, leaving her lying unconscious on the bed. As I slowly closed the door behind me, I bumped into a young man in the lobby. His face was obscured by a mask and a cap, and he vanished almost as quickly as he'd appeared, giving me an uneasy feeling.I stepped into the vehicle, my thoughts drifting back to last night. I wasn’t one to devote myself to any woman—just sex and nothing else—but why did I linger this morning?I woke up two hours after we both fell asleep, staring at her peaceful face and stroking her hair for a few minutes. Why am I bothered? Sooner or later, she’ll leave just like the others did."Sir, are you okay?" Frederick asked from behind the wheel as he swerved into the next street."I am. What did Mr. Ethan say?""He insisted that you face the reporters. That's the only way to gain the people's trust. No one will get their food commodities from a company with bad leadership."I scoffed. "Bad leadership? The b
Fiona's POV"Why did you do that?" My voice echoed through the corners of my room as I bit my lips and stamped my cold feet.If there was one thing I could always figure out, it was the person who hurt Alexander. It had to be Davis, and Mister must have put him up to it."That's the only way to keep him away from the company, at least for now," the line cracked, but his voice came back. "If he discovers the truth, I'll be ousted. He needs to stay out while I fix things."I scoffed. "What if he died? Everything I've worked for would have died too.""At least he didn't.""I can't believe you. Get off my phone," I yelled, hanging up and grabbing my coat."Who was that?" Isabella asked, leaning on the door frame, munching a crispy snack.I froze for a moment before finding the right words. "Just someone.""Hmm, someone I don't know?""Someone you shouldn't know," I said, kissing her on the cheek and heading out.The cold walk down the street made my legs tremble. I stepped into the taxi t
Alexander's POVThe clicks of the cameras sounded in my ears as I walked into the hall. The reporters sat waiting, undoubtedly with a thousand questions in their heads, waiting for the right time to pour them out.Upon seeing my appearance, they all stood up with applause.I sat on the podium, opened a bottle of water, and took a long drink while the cameras captured every single moment."Please sit," I requested, and they immediately did."Good day, great people of London. I'm Alexander Brooks, CEO of the Brooks Company, the number one food company in all of Europe," I paused for a brief moment. "Well, it happens, especially when someone new and young takes over a century-old company. I mean, who wouldn't be?" I laughed, and they did too."With sincerity," I continued, "I would love to call back all board members and resell their shares back to them if they are willing."A loud applause erupted again."And I sincerely apologize for causing you a lot..." I didn't get the chance to fin