Chapter 261“Who was calling?” He asked as he walked out of the bathroom with a towel tied around his waist.“I don’t know, you should check it yourself,” she said and he nodded and picked up the phone before going to the balcony to answer the phone call.Tears welled up in her eyes as pain and anger surged through her spine.She needed to find out who Matthew was and why he was hiding his real identity. She wondered if their first meeting was a coincidence or a setup.She then stood up from the bed and walked out of the room. She brought out her phone and texted one of her old-time investigator.“I need you to find out who Alexander Robert is” she texted and then went back to the room and laid on the bed. Just then Matthew walked back inside the room.“Are you alright?” He asked as he dropped his phone by the bedside, and walked towards Jessica, and sat beside her on the bed.“Yeah, I'm alright, I'm okay-”“I would be heading out to see my aunt, I would be back later in the day,” he
“It's about Grandma Samantha, her sickness is getting worse and if the surgery is not carried out on time, she might die… Adrianna will lose the only family she's got left” the nurse said with a worried look on her face: Lisa stared at her without saying a word.She could hear Adrianna’s and her grandma’s laughter. They sounded so happy. She knows how much Melissa loves her grandmother. If Melissa loses her grandma, she might never be the same again and she was too young to lose the only family she's got left.The reason she had agreed to act as Mellisa was so she could pay her grandma's bills. Samantha was the only family Mellisa had left, and her dying would make her lonely, she thought memories of how her mom had died came running into her head.She felt tears gathered in her eyes but then she quickly pushed it back and then stood up.“Send me the bills, let's transfer her to the best hospital here in Atlanta and make sure she gets the surgery,” she said and the nurse nodded and
Meanwhile, Lisa had just woken up from her deep sleep and was feeling hungry, so she decided to go downstairs to get some food. The moment she got downstairs, the door burst open revealing Jessica. She was looking sad and angry at the same time and her eyes were swollen like she had just cried.She walked past her and climbed the stairs going to her room. Hmm, she’s calm today and didn’t try to attack me, Lisa thought and then sighed.Just then the front door opened again revealing Hannah. She had just returned from the company and she was looking so tired. Hannah stared at Lisa and was about to walk past her when she spoke, making her pause. “I know you are having an affair with Lucas..” she said and Hannah turned to her looking perplexed. “You don’t need to hide it anymore, I know you love Lucas, you are everything just like me Hannah, but yet you deny it,” Lisa said and Hannah scoffed.“You must be crazy. You need help Lisa, you are depressed and jobless and do not know what y
Meanwhile, the octuplets are seen in the room, they are already done playing games and are talking about their schools. Suddenly, Allison took the hairbrush and decided to brush Mellisa’s hair. “Your hair looks scattered, can I brush it?” She asked and Mellisa nodded giving her permission to. She brushed the hair and then helped her style it in two ponytails. She took her hair band and tied it on the ponytail and then dropped the brush on the dressing table beside her bed.“Wow, you look so pretty,” Allison said as Mellisa stared at herself in the mirror and then smiled. She loved the hairstyle.The octuplets stared at each other as they stared at the hairbrush which contained a few strands of Mellisa’s hair.Meanwhile, Lisa was seen by the pool when she saw Matthew’s car drive inside the compound.He alighted the car while he was on a phone call.“I lied to her that I’m going to see my aunt, can you please stop calling me so she won’t be suspicious?” Matthew said as he closed the
“What are you talking about?-“ he said with the look of confusion on his face and Jessica felt more pain in her heart. He was pretending not to know what she was talking about.“I know you didn’t go to see your aunt today, you went to see the Chairman of GTB publishing company at a restaurant, and you lied to me-““Are you following me now?” He asked and she stared at him looking speechless.“Is that what you gonna say, if I’m following you? You fucking lied to me. You lied about having an aunt or a family here in Atlanta, you lied about your identity, you lied about the fact that you are a reporter, you lied about everything” she yelled and he stared at her with a look of surprise on his face wondering how she found out about all of this.He's been caught, damn!! He thought.“Jessica you are getting it all wrong, I can explain,” he said and she shook her head and wiped her tears.“There’s nothing to explain about, I know the truth now. You only came to me because you needed informati
What kind of mother are you? I hate you so much” she yelled and then laid on the bed and closed her eyes as tears slipped down her cheeks.Lisa sighed softly as she stared at the little girl who was lying beside her facing the other side of the bed. She felt her heart break at what she had said. “What kind of mother are you?”.“Adrianna,” she called but no response.“Adrianna I-“ she paused as she sighed for the hundredth time.“Have a good night's sleep, Adrianna”, she said as she lay on bed beside her, lots of thoughts going through her mind It was morning and Arianna had woken up so early so she could get the kids dressed up for school.She had gone downstairs to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the kids but then to her utmost surprise, she saw Lisa in the kitchen preparing breakfast.She stared at her with a look of surprise on her face. She wondered what she was cooking, why she was cooking, and who she was cooking for.“What's going on here, Alex?” she asked the butler and
“I hope it’s not poison,” she said and Lisa rolled her eyes. “I’m only doing this so you won’t ruin my plans. Sit here, the food is ready, I would bring it now” she said and walked inside the kitchen.A few minutes later; she came back holding a tray of food and then dropped it on the table.“What did you prepare?” Mellisa asked, staring at the plate.“Baked chicken and some rice,” she said as she opened the place and Mellisa hummed. “I hope it tastes nice as it looks,” she said as she took the fork and knife and took a cut from the chicken. Lisa sat down staring at her while she took a bite from the chicken, she had this weird look on her face while she chewed it. “What’s wrong?” Lisa asked as she took the serviette and suddenly spit it out.“This has no taste and it's half cooked, I can taste the blood of the chicken in my mouth, did you even wash it? , please do not ever try to cook again” Mellisa said as she rested her back on the chair. “Fine, at least I tried,” she said as s
“What?-““Lisa, could you learn to stick your nose in things that are your concerns?” Arianna asked with a frown on her face.“Not when it involves this family reputation, “ Lisa said and Arianna rolled her eyes.“Like you care about this family” she responded.“Ok, what the hell is going on Mom?” Brandon asked.“You should ask Lisa, I believe she knows everything, “ Arianna said as she shot Lisa a deadly glare. Brandon and Lucas turned to Lisa waiting for her to speak.“Turns out Matthew's real name is Alexander Robert. He had targeted Jessica and your sister fell for his traps-““Can you just go straight to the point? I knew his name wasn’t Matthew” Lucas said and everyone turned to him.“You knew?” Brandon asked.“Not really, but the day we had gone out, a lady had called him Alexander Robert, he claimed not to know the lady and left. I figured out that might be his actual name” Lucas said with a shrug.“Anyways, Matthew is a reporter and a publisher, he was paid to give out every
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