“Did you say Mellisa is alive?” He asked again to be sure and she nodded. “She’s lying to you Brandon, we all know Mellisa is not alive,” Jessica said and Lisa shot her a deadly glare and then turned to Brandon.“I wouldn’t lie to you about my daughter Brandon. Our daughter, I can’t do that, she’s alive Brandon and I’m telling the truth” she said and Lucas scoffed.“Take her out,” Lucas says to the security.“No one would touch her,” Brandon said and the security men froze at once and moved back.Jessica stared at Brandon speechlessly.Lisa stared at Lucas and then at the security before moving closer to Brandon.“Ask them to bring my clothes in,” she said calmly. “No, you tell me where Mellisa is or I will be the one to throw you out myself,” he said with no emotion in his eyes and she let out a sigh and nodded. “When Mellisa was kidnapped, I found out who kidnapped her and they demanded a ransom. I paid for the ransom and asked them to tell you she was dead because I found out so
He tilted his head and suddenly smashed his lips on hers.He pulled away from the kiss and then opened the door for her. “You can go continue your cooking,” he said and she stared at him and quickly looked away as she felt her cheeks turn red. Hannah smiled as she went to the kitchen and prepared dinner. After which the family had dinner together, except Lucas who was at the wine cellar, drinking himself too stupid.Hannah had assisted the maids in clearing the table.She was about to walk out of the kitchen when Brandon walked towards her.“You look worried during dinner, what’s wrong?” He asked as they both walked out of the kitchen. “I’m worried about Lucas, he’s hurt,” Hannah said and Brandon sighed.“He’s going to be alright,” he said and Hannah nodded. Just then the front door opened revealing Lisa.“She’s back” Hannah muttered with an eye roll as she and Brandon moved towards her. “And where is the child?” Brandon asked and Lisa stared at the both of them and then turned to
“She asked you to stay away from me?” Hannah asked and Mellisa nodded and she hummed.“Where did you and your mommy live, Mellisa?” Hannah asked.“We stayed at……”“Melissa, it’s time for bed,” Lisa, who is seen climbing down the stairs, said , cutting off her speech. “But I’m hungry, you said once we arrive I would eat nice food here,” she said as she touched her stomach. “There’s food in the kitchen Melissa, I could get you some,” Hannah said and Lisa rolled her eyes. “No, I would get her food myself. Stay away from my child, Hannah, and stop interrogating her” Lisa said as she clenched her fist before pulling Mellisa away.She dragged her upstairs to the guest room and closed the door behind her then turned to Mellisa with a furious look on her face.“What? Don't give me that look. I did exactly as you asked me to, I’m hungry, can you please get me food, now” she said as she sat on the bed and let out a sigh.“I thought I told you to stay away from Hannah and not answer any quest
“I’m so sorry Lucas. I’m so sorry for what happened” she said and just then she pulled him into a warm hug.Just then she pulled away from the hug.“Come, I will take you to your room,” she said as she helped him out of the wine cellar and took him to his room.She helped him lie on the bed and covered him properly with the duvet. She glared at him for some seconds and was about to walk away when he held her hands.“Hey,” she muttered as she turned to him.“Could you please spend the night with me?” He said and Hannah furrowed her brows as she sat beside him.“I can’t Lucas, you have to rest,” she said and he opened his eyes and tried sitting up but Hannah held him.“You should be resting, Lucas, don’t move,” she said but he refused to lay down, he then sat on the bed.“Why didn’t you tell me in time that Lisa was lying to me?” Lucas asked.“I don’t know, maybe because you love her too much and you wouldn’t believe me,” she said as she paused while staring deep into her oceanic eyes.
This isn’t going to end well, Hannah thought.“Hello Jessica, what’s wrong? You look mad, even your hair looks mad, I hope you slept well” Lisa said and Jessica frowned.“No, I didn’t because there's been the smell of rats since you arrived at this house and it’s making me nauseous, you dirty chihuahua,” Jessica said and Hannah sighed. “And where is your gigolo, he's not with you this morning. Oh I’m shocked or is he tired of following you around like a pet” Lisa said and Jessica Clenched her fist.“He’s not a gigolo and I would remind you again, I’m married. Not everyone is a whore like you who sleeps around with men they make eye contact with” Jessica said and Lisa gritted her teeth.“There are kids here” Hannah muttered and they both composed themselves immediately.Mellisa stared at Jessica and then looked away with a look of fear on her face. Jessica was looking so scary at that moment and she could chop off Lisa’s head at that moment if she could.The octuplets stared at Meliss
“What did he find-“ “He found out Lisa had been living on the outskirts of Atlanta and she had stayed alone all these years without a child. She didn’t have any child with her,” she said and Hannah raised her eyebrows confused. “She lied that she had left because of the kids and had been taking care of her. She was never with any child nor Mellisa. She stayed alone. Now, the question is, Does the child belong to Brandon? I don’t think the child is Brandon’s. This is one of her schemes again” Arianna said and Hannah sighed. “What are we going to do?” Hannah asked.“I need to tell Brandon,” Arianna said.“No, we can’t. He already believes the child is his and we do not have any concrete proof yet, we need more evidence” Hannah said and Arianna sighed. “Micheal is still doing more findings,-““Till then we would tell no one about what you found,” Hannah said and Arianna nodded in response.Meanwhile, the octuplets and Mellisa could be seen in the room. Mellisa had joined them in pl
The look on Brandon’s face changed. Was Hannah really with Lucas last night? Was that the reason she had come into the room so late and tired?She knew Lisa was lying to him and nothing else. She’s trying to get to his head again. He wasn’t gonna let it work, he thought.Hannah who had just walked out of Arianna’s room went to her room and took her bath while she changed into her office wear and went to the company.Brandon on the other hand had gotten dressed too and went to the company.Meanwhile, Jessica who was still looking furious had wanted to go upstairs to her room.She was about walking past the octuplets room when the door opened revealing the octuplets.She gave them a weird look wondering why they were staring at her like that.“Why ain’t you guys in school?” Jessica asked.“Public holiday, school resumes tomorrow,” Allison said to Jessica and she hummed.“Okay then,” she said and was about to walk away when they spoke, making her stop.“We need your help, Aunt Jessica,”
“Not everyone is a whore like you, Lisa. Go get something doing” he said and with that, he walked away.Lisa stared at him angrily as jealousy rushed through her veins.Hannah all the time, I wonder what's so special about her.Lisa rolled her eyes and then walked out of the house, there she met Mellisa talking to the chauffeur.“I told you not to talk to strangers in this house” she muttered with an angry look on her face.“And you, why are you here? Ain’t you supposed to be driving Brandon to work” Lisa said to the chauffeur who was staring at her.“Brandon doesn’t like me driving him all the time, he loves driving by himself,” he said and she rolled her eyes.“Whatever. I need the key to the black Bentley, I need to get some clothes for Brandon’s child” Lisa said as she stretched her hands forward:“Brandon would kill me if I gave you the key to the car,” he said and she scoffed.“And you would be fired in a split second when I tell him you refused to let me take the car to take hi
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