Chapter 1
A Black car screeched to a halt in front of a big company. Hannah alighted the car and walked inside the company, to her office.
She dropped her bag on the table and was about to sit down when she heard her phone ring. She brought out the phone from her handbag. She checked the caller's ID and saw it was her boss.
She quickly answered the phone call.
“Hell………”
“Report to my office immediately, Hannah,” her boss's voice echoed over the phone, cutting her off. He sounded so furious.
She wondered what must have happened that made him that furious. She quickly rushed out of her office and entered the elevator that was going to the seventh floor.
She planted a soft knock on the door and when there was no response she opened the door and walked in. There she met her boss looking as furious as ever.
“I called you two minutes ago and you are just coming now” her boss yelled and she flinched. She had come immediately after he called her, it hadn't been up to a minute.
“But sir.......,”
“You know what? You are fired, Hannah Rodriguez'' her boss yelled and she stared at him with a confused expression on her face.
“Sir........”
“Get out of my office and leave my company immediately” he yelled, cutting Hannah's speech again for the second time. Hannah flinched. He wouldn't even let her speak.
Without wasting any more time she walked out of the office and quickly brought out her phone to call her husband.
Her husband, Jeff Mikelson was known as a prominent man in society. He was a very rich CEO respected by all.
When Jeff married Hannah, he had asked her to work under his company but Hannah refused. He respected her decision and helped her find a job at another company.
Hannah, who was now standing outside her boss's office, quickly brought out her phone and dialed her husband’s number.
He was the one who had helped her get the job here in the past, he might be able to do something and stop her boss from firing her, she thought as she dialed jeff’s number but he wasn't answering his phone call.
She sighed softly and tried calling it again but this time around it was switched off. She sighed In frustration and placed her hands on her forehead thinking of what to do.
She wouldn't be able to go in and plead with her boss. He was looking so angry and it scared her. She's never seen him this angry before. She wondered what she had done.
Just then she saw her boss's assistant, Chloe walking towards her boss's office.
“Hannah” Chloe called as she walked towards her.
“Chloe, do you have any idea why the boss would fire me?” Hannah asked, she was almost on the verge of tears.
Chloe stared at her with pity in her eyes. Hannah then noticed the look on her face. She must know something about why she was fired.
“Hannah, I would advise you to go home and talk to your husband. He.....” Chloe paused and joined her lips together.
“What????” Hannah asked
“He asked the boss to fire you, '' Chloe said as she stared at Hannah with pity. Hannah was such a nice woman, she's always done her job so well, and she didn't deserve to be fired over anything.
Hannah's husband had called the boss threatening him when he refused to fire Hannah. The boss had no choice because he was scared.
No, that's impossible. There must be a mistake somewhere. My husband loves me so much. He would never do that to me, Hannah thought.
“Please, excuse me,” Chloe said and with that, she walked away.
Hannah laughed. There must be a mistake or maybe some imposter who pretended to be her husband called her boss and asked him to fire her. She needed to talk to her husband about it, she thought, and then went back to her office.
She carried her bag and walked out of the company to her car. Just then she heard her phone ring, it was a call from her husband’s lawyer.
“Daniella” Hannah called out as she answered the call, wondering why her husband’s lawyer was calling her. Hannah and Daniella had such a good relationship in the past that they both have each other’s number. Aside from Business, they call to hear from each other once in a while.
“Hannah, your husband filed for a divorce,” Daniella said, cutting to the chase.
“What?” Hannah muttered as she felt the phone slip from her hands falling to the ground of the car.
Her eyes welled up in tears. No, that would be impossible. Her husband loves her so much and would not divorce her. She remembered him telling her this morning that he loves her and didn't want to lose her.
Why would he now divorce her? she asked no one in particular. Dianella would not lie to her. Her husband had filed for divorce but why. The tears in her eyes had already blinded her vision.
She blinked her eyes and the tears slipped down her chubby cheeks. She couldn't lose her job and marriage in one day. She just can't bear it. The pain was too much. She hadn't offended her husband. Why would he choose to frustrate her this way? All she has been was a good wife to him.
She kept on crying. She quickly picked up her phone and decided to call her husband again. She dialed his number but it wasn't going through.
She felt so much pain in her heart, she felt she was going to die any moment. She just needed someone to talk to. She decided to call her best friend, Rhoda but her phone was ringing and she wasn’t answering the phone.
She dropped her phone and decided to go to her house since she wouldn't answer the phone call.
*************
Her car screeched to a halt in front of her best friend’s house. She alighted the car and walked inside the house.
She met the door open as usual. Rhoda was fond of opening her door.
“Rhoda” she called as she walked in. Tears kept on pouring from her eyes nonstop. When her best friend came out, the first thing she planned on doing was hugging her and crying on her shoulder.
There was no response. She decided to check her room upstairs. She climbed upstairs and just as she was about to get close to the room, she heard moans.
“Fuck me, Jeff!! Jeff fuck me!! I love you so much” Rhoda kept yelling.
“Oh yes honey, I love you too” Jeff voiced out. Hannah felt her legs become as weak as jelly. She almost felt numb.
She must be mistaken, her husband would never cheat on her not to talk of her best friend. She trusts her husband so much. She decided to take a look for herself.
She pushed the door to the room open and there she met her husband banging Rhoda in a doggy style.
She felt like a sharp knife had been pierced into her heart. More tears slipped down her cheeks.
“Jeff!! Rhoda!!” Hannah managed to voice out and they quickly turned to her, surprised to see her.
“Hannah” Jeff called in shock. He didn’t expect to see Hannah. Rhoda rolled her eyes as she saw Hannah.
“Rhoda, you......”
“Oh!! Don't call my name that way. We both know you haven't been able to give Jeff an heir. You ate all your children that's why you are unable to give birth. So he wants me to give him an heir” Rhoda said and Hannah blinked out tears.
She wondered how long the affair had been going on between her best friend and her husband.
Hannah stared at the both of them in disgust. She shook her head and without saying a word, she ran out of the house and to her car.
She couldn’t believe what she had seen, her husband and best friend having sex. It was unbelievable. She thought her husband loved her so much.
And her best friend, she trusted her so much, but she betrayed her.
She decided to go home and cry on her pillow.
She ignited the engine of the car and zoomed off. Tears slipped down her cheeks nonstop.
When she got home, she met her mother-in-law throwing her stuff outside the house. She parked the car and quickly wiped her tears and alighted the car.
“Mom, mom!! What’s going on?” She asked as she rushed towards her mother-in-law who was throwing her things outside.
“Oh! Stop calling me mom! I’m not your mom and never was. Your mom is dead, and I’m not her” Her mother-in-law, Rosa said as she hissed loudly.
“I’m glad my son divorced you already. Now, you can get out of our life for good and so you know, Rhoda, your best friend, is pregnant with my grandchild. She’s going to give us an heir whereas you, you couldn’t even get pregnant or give birth. You are barren!! The doctor said you would not be able to give birth again. My son can’t be with someone who can’t bear him a child” Rosa yelled to her face.
Hannah stared at her, tears slipping down her cheeks. Whatever her mother-in-law was saying wasn’t true. She wasn’t barren when she met her son, Jeff. and even though she was now barren, it wasn’t her fault.
She had given birth twice for her husband, Jeff but the child had always died immediately after it was given birth; recently she had gotten pregnant, but she lost the pregnancy.
The doctor had told her she was poisoned and whatever poison was given to her did not only destroy the pregnancy, it destroyed her womb too and she had almost lost her life. And now she would never be able to conceive again.
Hannah stared at her not knowing what to say. She knew her mother-in-law never liked her from the start, she never wanted her son to marry her in the beginning but she never thought she would be the one saying this to her.
It wasn’t her fault that the babies didn’t stay and that she cannot conceive anymore. The fact that her best friend was pregnant with her husband’s child was something else.
“You know what!! I do not want to see your disgusting face. Pack your things, and leave this house, and least I forgot, my son got that car for you, so I’m taking it back” Rosa yelled and dragged the car key from Hannah. She then pushed her to the ground.
Hannah cried out in despair as she stared at the woman who called herself, her mother-in-law. She was a woman too like her, she thought she would understand her pain too.
“Mom!!!” Hannah cried
“I told you, stop calling me mom!!” Rosa yelled and held her by the hair. She pulled her hair and Hannah cried as she struggled to remove her mother-in-law's hands from her hair.
“Let go of me, you are hurting me” Hannah yelled and her mother-in-law kicked her and let go of her hair immediately.
“I do not want to see your face in this mansion anymore” she yelled and with that, she walked inside the house and locked the door.
Hannah cried. A lot had happened to her. In just one day she had lost her job, lost her marriage, and had lost a roof over her head and her best friend was carrying her husband’s baby.
She cried. Her face was already swollen and her hand was bleeding from when Rosa had pushed her to the ground.
She didn’t have anywhere else to go and it was almost getting dark. She decided to go look for a shelter somewhere else.
She walked down the street with tears in her eyes. Her hair looked so messy. She kept on crying. She didn’t know what to do. She had lost everything.
Just then a car pulled in front of her and two hefty men rushed out of the car and carried her and forced her into the car.
“Let me go!! Let me go!!” She kept yelling and one of the men used a handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose and suddenly she lost consciousness.
TBC
Chapter 2Hannah opened her bleary eyes and discovered she was in a dark room with her hands tied above her head. She noticed she was lying on a soft material, a bed to be precise. The room was so dark that she could barely see a thing. The only thing she could feel was pain all over her, her body hurting like hell. She knew she passed out but she didn't know how long she's passed out. Memories of everything that happened came rushing into her head like a flash. How two hefty men had dragged her inside the car and placed a handkerchief in her nose and she had lost consciousness. That was the last thing she remembered and now she finds herself in a dark room on a bed with her hands tied. “Oh my goodness! I have been kidnapped” she thought as fear rang through her veins. She wondered who must have kidnapped her, the thought of her kidnappers killing her made a shiver run down her spine. She began to wonder who must have kidnapped her. She had no enemy, she's never offended anyone.
Chapter 3Hannah opened her bleary eyes. Staring at the surroundings, wondering where she was. “Hannah you are awake” she heard a voice. That voice. It sounded so familiar. It was the voice that had asked her to stay with her. “Where am I?” Hannah asked as her vision was already becoming clearer.“You are in the hospital. How are you feeling?” The woman asked and then Hannah turned to her. It was a beautiful woman with long, lush hair.She had blue eyes and her skin was so white. She looked like a rich woman, Of Course, she was. Hannah could see she was a rich woman even from the way she speaks and act. As she stared at the woman a sense of familiarity washed through her.“How are you feeling?” The woman asked with a smile on her face and Hannah stared at her weirdly wondering who she was and why she was being so caring. She knew she had brought her to the hospital, but why?. She didn’t even know this woman but she had saved her life and brought her to the hospital. It was so weird
Chapter 4“Congratulations Hannah Rodriguez, your new name is now Cinderella Mackenzie. Welcome to the world of wealth and riches” the lawyer said and Hannah smiled at her. “Excuse me,” the lawyer said and with that, they walked out.Arianna smiled at Hannah. “So, you are officially my daughter. We need to celebrate “ Arianna said and Hannah forced herself to smile“Can you please get me out of this hospital first?” Hannah said and Arianna smiled. “Of course, I will. Your passport, I mean our passport is ready. We leave for New York City tonight” Arianna said and Hannah stared at her weirdly. “Why leave? I thought you would stay here in Atlanta?” Hannah asked“Yes, I do but I have my house in New York and I’m taking you there to rest. You are too weak to strive at the Mikelsons. I’m sure they know your weakness and they will use it against you, making you lose the battle against them. If you want to strike your enemies and win, you must go unexpectedly and ready, like a thief in
Chapter 5A red sports car screeched to a halt in front of a big mansion.Arianna and Hannah alighted the red sports car. “Welcome to New York City and welcome to my home, your home,” Arianna said and Hannah smiled at her. Hannah was a very calm person, she wasn’t the kind of person who talks much, and all she knew how to do was smile.They both walked inside the house and Arianna could see lots of maids running to and fro like they were trying to put things in order. “Welcome ma'am, welcome ma'am “ the maids kept bowing their heads as they saw Arianna, she just smiled and waved at them and they smiled at her in return. Hannah stared at Arianna, she was probably the nicest woman she's met in these few days. “Ma’am Arianna” An advanced woman called as she walked towards Arianna and hugged her. “Oh!! Mama Luciana. How are you” Arianna asked in the most caring tone ever.“I am more than okay. I miss you a lot and I'm glad you are finally home. Who is she?” mama Luciana asked and Aria
Chapter 6Meanwhile, Rhoda and Jeff's mom, Rosa, are seen sitting together in Mikealson’s mansion, laughing. They looked so happy.“I'm glad I finally got rid of Hannah for good. My son just wouldn't want to leave her alone. Even though he knows she's cursed and she eats her kids, that's why all the children she gave birth to died. Witch like her. Who knew she was going to end up being barren” Rosa said in a disgusting tone making Rhoda smile. Rosa knew she was the one behind what Hannah had gone through. Only she and the nurse she paid knew about what she has done.“Hannah is cursed. She killed her mother when she was a child. That’s why she had no relative or family members” Rhoda said and Rosa opened her eyes wide.“Oh my goodness!! I knew it!! She killed her mother and she lied she had cancer and died. I wonder where Jeff picked her from. I’m glad she’s gone for good, now you can be my daughter in law. And I’m glad you gonna give me an heir, finally “ Rosa muttered and Rhoda gig
Chapter 7“Welcome to the land of wealth and riches, honey. Nothing is too expensive when money is involved”******************************Two weeks later Hannah is seen climbing down the stairs, all dressed, ready to resume the MacKenzie company as the new CEO. Just then she saw Arianna, walking out of the kitchen putting on a white long robe making her look so sexy. She was holding a cup of coffee in her hands. She could swear that nobody would believe that this woman was in her 50s but she looked so young and sexy. A lot of people would probably think they are sisters. “Good morning mom” Hannah muttered as she moved towards her and kissed her on the cheeks.“Good morning honey. I can see you are all set for work” Arianna said with a smile plastered on her face, as she examined Hannah’s dress. “It’s your first day as CEO, remember what I told you. You are now Cinderella Mackenzie, you should never let anyone intimidate you, heads high, walk majestically. And if anyone dares
Chapter 8“Congratulations, your daughter has just given birth to Octuplets. Four boys and four girls” the doctor said and Arianna opened her eyes wide in shock. “Octuplets!!” Arianna said, almost yelling. Hannah’s stomach was so big, she had always thought there were more than one baby inside, probably triplets or quadruplets, but the fact that it was octuplets was so shocking. “Can I see her now?” Arianna asked“Yeah, sure after the nurse finishes cleaning the babies and the mother then you can see them,” the doctor said and Arianna nodded in response.After The nurse had finished cleaning the babies, Hannah. Arianna went inside the ward to see Hannah and the babies. She met Hannah lying on the bed staring at the babies which were laid on a big baby cradle beside her. “Oh my goodness!! Hannah, congratulations “ Arianna said and Hannah smiled at her weakly. Hannah had felt so much pain while giving birth to the babies, but immediately she saw the babies, all the pain she felt d
Chapter 9Hannah walked inside her kid's room and met them playing with their toys. With the way they were looking so calm, one would think they weren't the ones turning the whole house upside down some minutes ago. “Mommy” Addison called as she saw Hannah walk inside the room. She dropped her toy and went to hug her mommy, while the rest of the kids did the same. Hannah smiled and sat on the ground while the kids surrounded her. “Mommy, do you want to tell us a story?” Audrey asked happily. “No honey, I'm here to tell you, guys, something else,” Hannah said and the kids raised their eyebrows staring at her, waiting for her to speak.“Sweethearts, we are leaving New York City, “ Hannah said and the kids opened their eyes wide in shock. “We are leaving?” Jaxon asked and Hannah nodded in response.“Why mommy,” Allison asked“Why are we leaving mommy?” Jasper asked curiously “And where are we going?” Aubrey asked and Hannah smiled. If there was one thing about her kids, they love a
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