Chapter 38Common, let’s do this and make sure none of us get caught. Are you guys ready?” Jayden asked and they nodded in response. “Let’s go”******************Meanwhile, the girls are seen walking towards Jessica's room when they saw Brandon walking out of their mommy’s with his phone in his ear. He was on a phone call. They quickly hid themselves.“She’s gonna be the new COO. I want you to make sure her office and everything is in place tomorrow, although I told her she could resume anytime” Brandon said as he walked inside his study room. The kids sighed softly, they were glad they weren’t caught. If there’s one thing they’ve noticed about Brandon is that, whenever he’s on call, he’s always talking about business or his office and the kids find it boring. They moved away from where they were hiding and walked towards Jessica’s room. They opened the door slightly and walked inside the room. They scrutinized the whole room and noticed no one was inside.They wondered where s
Chapter 39“I...” a voice muttered and everyone's eyes moved towards the direction where the voice came from and to their surprise, they all saw Hannah looking so beautiful in her dress. Brandon swallowed hard as he stared at her. He was almost lost in her beauty, he had seen lots of beautiful women in his life, but this woman in front of him, there was something about her beauty that made a strange feeling arouse in him. “What the hell?” Grandma Elizabeth muttered with shock in her eyes. “You asshole!” she muttered as she stared at Hannah who walked towards her kids and kissed them on their cheeks. “The driver will take you guys to school. I'll come to pick you guys up when you close from school” Hannah said as the kids stood up from the chair they were sitting on.“It's fine Mommy, you should focus on your work, you can ask the driver to pick us up from school,” Jayden said and she smiled at the same kids. She didn't know what she could do without them. “Bye Mommy, we love you”
Chapter 40Hannah is seen sitting in her office staring at the computer in front of her. She didn't believe what Grandma Elizabeth had said, that Brandon and Jeff are stepbrothers. Does that mean they both know each other? No, that cannot be true, she was so sure Elizabeth was trying to piss her off, and come to think of it, Elizabeth has been doing too much digging about her past, it was high time she does something about it, she thought. Just then a knock came in, “Come in” she muttered and the door opened revealing Liam.“Mr. Brandon wants you to meet him outside the company in his car,” Liam said and Hannah raised her eyebrows giving him a questioning look.“Tch” she clicked her tongue as she remembered she was going to attend a party with Brandon. “I'll be there in a jiffy,” Hannah said and Liam nodded in response before leaving. she stood up and packed her things in her bag. She walked out of her office and entered the elevator.Immediately she walked out of the elevator,
Chapter 41Just as she was about to enter the bathroom, she bumped into someone unexpectedly. “You asshole, watch where you are going to” A voice yelled and Hannah raised her head to see who it was and to her surprise, she saw Grandma Elizabeth.“What are you doing here?” Elizabeth asked surprised to see Hannah. “I should be asking you that!” Hannah said and Elizabeth scoffed. “He brought you with him. That's weird and unlike him” Elizabeth said as she stared at her from her head to her toe. “Enjoy the party,” she said with a devilish smirk on her face and walk past Hannah. Hannah stared at her suspiciously, she didn't know why but she felt she was up to something.She quickly shook off the thought and walked inside the restroom. When she was done, she walked out of the restroom and decided to locate where the party was being hosted, when she suddenly heard two men whispering among themselves.She had wanted to walk past them but then she suddenly heard them mention Brandon’s nam
Chapter 42And suddenly a voice spoke from behind. It was no other person but Brandon.“You heard the woman, Let her go!!” Brandon spoke in a calm tone but yet the tone was so cold and deadly as he walked towards Jeff and gripped his hands. Jeff turned and stared at who it was and to his surprise he saw Brandon Colby. His biggest rival and enemy in the business industry.“And who are you to tell me what to do?” Jeff said with a grin on his face and Brandon scoffed. This man doesn’t know who and what he’s messing with. Maybe I need to reintroduce myself to him again, Brandon thought as the grip on Jeff’s hands tightened making Jeff wince in pain. He quickly let go of Hannah’s neck. Brandon scoffed as he squeezed his hands making him scream in pain. He suddenly let go of his hand and Jeff fell on the ground as he groaned in pain, and held his hands which were already broken. Brandon bent to his level and stared at Jeff’s face which was looking so red like a ripe tomato like it was ab
Chapter 43A black car screeched to a halt in front of Colby’s mansion.Brandon was the first to alight the car, Followed by Hannah who went straight to her room. Immediately she walked inside her room, took her bath, and walked out of the bathroom.She applied her lotion and put on a trouser and a shirt. She decided to go pick the kids up from school by herself but just then the door burst open revealing Brandon.He had come to check on Hannah, he needed to make sure she was okay after what Jeff did to her.“You should learn to knock before coming in. What if I was naked?” Hannah said as she rolled her eyes.“But you are not naked,” Brandon said and sat on the couch in the room, Hannah scoffed and shook her head. “How are you feeling? Does your neck still hurt?” Brandon asked in the most caring tone ever and Hannah raised her eyebrows wondering why he cares.“I’m fine,” Hannah said reluctantly.“I wonder how you got married to such a man in the past. Damn, Jeff is known for his hot
Chapter 44Meanwhile, the octuplets are seen sitting outside the school compound with their friend David, discussing with each other while they wait for their parents to come to pick them up. Other kids are still seen roaming around the school compound while different cars are seen packing outside the school, parents coming down from it and their kids running to hug them.“I don’t think mom is gonna come now, you know she just started work as the new COO today, she must be really busy,” Allison said and yawned. She was feeling so damn hungry. “My grandma is gonna be late too,” David said with a sigh.“Why don’t we do something to keep ourselves busy before they arrive,” Jayden said “What do you suggest we do?” Jamie asked curiously and Jayden smiled. The Octuplets frowned at once as they knew what was in Jayden’s mind.“No no, I can’t do that, it’s stealing… common Jayden, it’s too risky, what if we get caught?” Jasper said.“No, we won’t, we would just take the phone and leave….”
Chapter 45Since his mom had been thrown out of the house, he felt so lonely and sad but whenever he comes to school, the octuplets always make him happy, he sighed softly. Immediately, Hannah’s car drove out of the school compound, and a red car drove inside the school compound. It was Rosa.David carried his bag and ran towards the car, he entered the car and locked the door.“I’m sorry I came late, honey. I had almost forgotten I was to pick you up from school” Rosa said and David felt his heart break into pieces. His grandma had forgotten she was to pick him up from school, he sighed softly,,,, maybe she didn’t care about him as much as he thought she did. “It’s okay, let’s go home” David said Meanwhile Rhoda is seen pacing to and fro in her living room. She had been discharged from the hospital days back but she couldn’t go to the party because she hadn’t fully recovered. And Liam wouldn’t let her go. He says Brandon said she should rest. She was at home resting while going
Lucas had left the room to make some calls, leaving Hannah and Teresa alone in the dimly lit space. The air between them was thick with unspoken thoughts, with grief and frustration too heavy to voice.Teresa watched Hannah closely. She looked hollow—her eyes distant, her shoulders sagging under a weight no one could carry for her.“You okay?” Teresa finally asked.Hannah blinked and turned her head, forcing a weak smile. “Yeah.”Teresa hummed in response, clearly unconvinced. She reached into her pocket, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a practiced ease. Smoke curled in the air between them.“Do you smoke?” she asked, offering one toward Hannah.Hannah shook her head. “No. I never have.”Teresa chuckled, taking a long drag before exhaling. “Figures.”Silence stretched between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was the silence of two women who understood each other—different, yet bound by shared pain.“My mother-in-law used to hate me too,” Teresa murmured suddenly, he
Teresa sat in the back of a dimly lit bar, the scent of cigarette smoke and aged whiskey thick in the air. The place was quiet, the kind of underground haunt where no one asked questions, where secrets were currency, and where a person could disappear if they weren’t careful.She checked the time on her phone. Her contact was late.Across the table, Hannah fidgeted with the glass of water in front of her, her expression distant, lost in thoughts she wasn’t ready to speak out loud. Lucas sat beside her, his gaze locked on the entrance, his tension palpable.When the door finally creaked open, Teresa’s eyes narrowed as a tall, wiry man entered, his leather jacket scuffed and his face shadowed with stubble. He scanned the room before spotting her and sauntering over.“You’re late, Marco,” Teresa said, her voice edged with impatience.The man—Marco Ruiz—grinned as he slid into the seat across from her. “Good to see you too, Provenzano. You know how it is—hard to stay alive in this busines
Hannah stood in the dimly lit warehouse, her fingers clenched into fists at her sides. The stale scent of dust and oil filled the air, mingling with the cold fear settling deep in her stomach. The warehouse was one of many they had searched in the last twenty-four hours, but this one felt different. The moment she stepped inside, a weird sensation crawled over her skin, like a presence lingering just out of sight.Lucas moved beside her, scanning the rows of crates stacked high against the walls. His jaw was tight, his frustration barely concealed beneath his calm exterior. Teresa stood a few steps ahead, gun in hand, her eyes sharp as she surveyed their surroundings. They had all hoped—desperately—that this search would yield something more than dead ends and half-truths. But as the minutes ticked by, that hope was slipping.Brandon had vanished without a trace.Every lead they had followed led to nothing. Every whisper, every clue, every trail had been a carefully crafted illus
The night was thick with silence, the kind that felt like a living, breathing thing, pressing in on them as they stood at the edge of the abandoned docks. The stench of salt and rust filled the air, mixing with something darker—the unmistakable scent of blood.Teresa’s fingers curled around the handle of her gun as she scanned the area, her pulse drumming hard against her ribs. Her father was dead. That chapter of her life was over. But this? This wasn’t over. Not until she had him.Not until she had Brandon and brought him back to his family.“We should’ve heard something by now,” Hannah whispered, her voice tight with restrained panic.Teresa didn’t answer. She was thinking the same thing.The lead had been solid. Brandon had been held here—multiple sources confirmed it. The docks had been his prison. But as they stood here, surrounded by crates and shadows, the truth settled like ice in her veins.Brandon wasn’t here.And the blood on the floor was still fresh.Teresa crouched do
Teresa barely had a second to react before the door to her office swung open. The moment her eyes landed on the man standing there, a cold shiver ran down her spine. Her father.Bernardo Provenzano. The man she had once idolized. The man she had spent her entire life trying to please.And now, the man she had just betrayed.He stepped inside with a slow, deliberate pace, shutting the door behind him. The soft click of the lock sent her heart into overdrive.“Oh, my little princess,” he murmured, his voice filled with mock tenderness. But his eyes… they were filled with nothing but hatred.Teresa’s hands gripped the arms of her chair, knuckles turning white. Fear slithered through her veins, but she refused to let it show.“How disappointing,” he continued, shaking his head as if she were a child who had misbehaved. “I thought you were different. Better. Not like your mother.”Teresa inhaled sharply.His mother.For years, she had believed the lie—that her mother had been killed by a r
The beeping of machines was the only sound filling the hospital room. Jessica lay on the hospital bed, her skin deathly pale, her chest barely rising under the weight of the oxygen mask secured over her face. Wires and tubes connected her to the machines, keeping her alive, but just barely.Hannah stood frozen in the doorway, unable to move. The doctor’s words still rang in her ears, cutting deeper than any wound ever could.“She has a five percent chance of survival,” the doctor had said, his voice clinical, detached. “She lost too much blood, and the delay in medical care worsened her condition. We’re doing everything we can, but you need to prepare for the worst.”The worst.Hannah clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. This was her fault. If she hadn’t suggested they escape… if she had just listened, just stayed put, Jessica wouldn’t be lying here, fighting for her life.And Brandon…A fresh wave of pain hit her. He was gone. Taken. She had watched him surrender himsel
The river had given them a chance, but it hadn’t given them freedom.Brandon collapsed onto the muddy shore, gasping for air. His limbs ached from the relentless current, but he didn’t have time to recover. Jessica.Lucas dragged her up the embankment, his breathing ragged. She was completely unconscious now, her body limp in his arms. The river had sapped whatever strength she had left. Her wound was bad—too bad. If they didn’t get her help soon…No. He couldn’t think like that.“Teresa,” Brandon barked, snapping back into survival mode. “Where’s the nearest hospital?”Teresa, still soaking wet, flipped open her laptop with shaking hands. Water dripped onto the screen, but she didn’t stop. “There’s one about six miles south,” she said breathlessly. “But there’s a problem.”Brandon exhaled sharply. “There’s always a problem.”Teresa gave him a grim look. “Bernardo’s men will have every major road blocked. They’re already watching the airspace. If we head to that hospital, they’ll find
The cave was damp and cold, the scent of moss and river water clinging to the air. Shadows stretched across the rocky walls, their flickering shapes cast by the distant glow of searchlights cutting through the trees outside. They had barely made it out alive.But they weren’t safe.Brandon pressed his back against the jagged rock, listening. Boots crunched against gravel just beyond the entrance. The soldiers were closing in. They had minutes—maybe seconds—before the cave was compromised.Lucas sat against the far wall, pressing his hand against Jessica’s wound. She was slipping fast, her skin pale, her lips trembling.“I can stop the bleeding, but not for long,” Teresa said, her voice tight with urgency. “But she needs real help, Brandon.”Brandon looked at Jessica’s barely conscious form, then at Hannah, who was up beside Teresa, shaking from the cold,she looked so pale. He had promised to protect her. He had promised to protect all of them.He clenched his fists. Promises meant not
The night was supposed to be theirs. They had escaped, survived impossible odds, and left Bernardo bleeding on the cold ground. But fate had other plans.They wondered how come he was alive. They had witnessed him go on his knees, blood all over him.The deafening roar of helicopter blades grew louder, sending shockwaves through Brandon’s chest. The floodlights cut through the dense trees, slicing through the shadows that had once been their cover. The tracker beneath the seat blinked like a taunting heartbeat—steady, unrelenting, and damning.Teresa’s fingers flew over her laptop, her breath ragged. “I need time,” she muttered, panic lacing her voice.“We don’t have time,” Lucas growled, yanking a rifle from the back. “They’re here.”Jessica shifted, barely conscious, her breathing uneven. Hannah took a deep breathe while having a second thoughts.Maybe she should just surrender herself to Bernardo and all this would be over. But Brandon here would rather die than watch her go back