NEXT MORNING
MALCOLM COMPANIESMALCOLM"Here, you need to sign these documents," Michael, my best friend and assistant, said and placed some files on the desk.I groaned in exhaustion. After spending an entire night with the virgin girl, I returned to see piles of files, waiting for me and awaiting my review."I'm tired, Mich," I said and yawned."You should be, after all, you spent an entire night at a club banging some whore," Michael said with an eye roll."What's life without fun?" I asked."Yeah, you've had fun. Now, fun time is over, quickly review these documents, so I can get the remaining.""Wait, there is more!" I yelled.Michael ignored me and walked away.Being a billionaire is tiring. I have to work twenty four hours a day to keep the company moving. Day in and day out, there are always files heaped on top of my desk. I have so many companies scattered all over the world. I have hotels, restaurants, clubs…The thought of a club made my mind go back to the girl I spent a night with last night."Such an innocent cutie pie," I muttered.Too bad she met the big bad wolf, I thought and laughed out.I finally focused on the files and began reviewing them. About an hour later, I heard commotions outside my office."Not again," I cried out."Don't let her come in, don't let her come in," I chanted, but then the door was pushed open, and a lady I could swear I've never seen before walked in, my security men behind her, trying to make her leave. I sighed and waved them off."So…" I muttered staring at the lady."I'm pregnant. I'm carrying your child," she said and I looked down at her stomach."How sure am I that the baby is mine?" I asked."I mean, I don't even know who you are," I added."We spent a night together a few weeks ago," the lady said, eying me, probably because I didn't recognize her.I didn't care though, how am I supposed to recognize her when I do not sleep with the same woman twice? I can sleep with over eight women in a week, so I end up forgetting their faces, even their names."Is the pregnancy up to seven weeks old?" I asked and she nodded."Good, let's go for a DNA test right now, " I said and rose from my seat."D…DNA?" she stammered."Yes, DNA," I replied."Can we do that next time?" she asked and settled down on my couch."My waist is suddenly aching," she cried and held her waist.I laughed out, on seeing her act."Bold of you to think you can pin a random pregnancy on me," I said smiling."What? The baby is really yours," she said, this time, not as confident as when she first told me about it."Right, then let's go for the test. I'll arrange for you to be carried to the hospital," I suggested, raising an eyebrow."I…I…I," she stammered."Get out of my office right now, you gold digging bitch," I yelled in anger.She got up and ran out as if her pants were on fire."Some nerve you have," I muttered.This has been the daily drama in my life. Almost every day, a random whore will walk into my office and claim to be carrying my child. The first day it happened, I nearly went crazy at the thought of what my parents and my fiance would say, but then, I took the lady for a DNA test and realized I wasn't responsible for the pregnancy."These girls never stop," I said aloud to Michael who just entered my office with more files.He walked towards me and dropped the files on the table with a loud bang, startling me."Do you realize that they won't stop coming or else you stop going to them," He muttered."If that's the case, then I'll keep rejecting them and their pregnancy," I replied nonchalantly."Can you even listen to yourself? You are the CEO of the largest company for Christ's sake, Malcolm, you have to act like one," Michael reprimanded me."So, is there any law that prohibits CEOs from having fun?" I asked."I am tired of making you see reasons with me. One day one of these girls will soil your reputation," Michael said in an attempt to make me see reasons with him."Till then…wait, if that eventually happens, I will just pay to press to keep shut about it like I always did," I said smiling.Michael eyed me unpleasantly and settled down on one of the couches in the office to help me review the file."I love you, buddy," I said aloud."I hate you," Michael said, sounding so annoyed and pissed off.I sighed."Alright Mich, I will change, "I promised, knowing fully well that I'll still go clubbing and will bang some whore after work today.Michael wasn't a bit convinced by my words."I just said I'll change, won't you say something?" I asked."Remind me how many times you told me that, this week," he requested and I smiled sheepishly.He shook his head and focused his entire attention on the file in his hands, ignoring me. I exhaled and also did the same.I have barely reviewed a file, when a knock sounded on my door, annoying me."Come in," I said grumpily and one of the workers pushed the door open and walked in.My eyes widened on seeing the worker who played the job which I considered the most important job in the company. His job was to keep watch and inform me whenever my mum and my crazy fiance visits the company. I pay him more than the other workers."Are they here?" I asked and he nodded."How long until they reach my office?""Five minutes," he replied, bowed and left.I stood up immediately and ran around my office to make sure everything was in order. When I confirmed that everything was in their designated places, I went back to my seat and acted like I've been working nonstop for hours.Michael giggled and I shot him a glare."I wish your mum was around all the time," he said."Are you my friend or foe?" I asked and glared at him.He laughed and ignored me.Soon, my office door was pushed open and my mum entered, my fiance clinging to her side like she always did. I rose from my seat and went over to them and gave my mum a hug."Welcome back, how was your trip?" I asked pretending not to have seen Isabelle, my fiance."Aren't you supposed to hug Belle before me?" My mum asked. Bringing a smile to Isabelle's face. She spread her hands in anticipation of my hug."No, you come first, mum. Isabelle and I can always do our thing in the bedroom," I said and engulfed my mum in another hug.Isabelle's smiley face fell and she brought her hands down. Isabelle might be my fiance, but I made it clear to her that I am not interested in her. She knows about my sexual escapades but chose to stay by my side, probably because of my money. All women are the same, they all go after men that have money, and even my mum is not exempted. She married my dad because of his money."Come sit," I told my mum and led her to the couch. Michael stood and hugged her. They exchanged pleasantries and then her attention was back to me."How have things been going around here?" She asked.I opened my mouth to talk when I heard the noise of a familiar commotion."Not now, not now," I chanted. But who was I kidding? The door was pushed open and a lady stormed in."I'm carrying your child, Malcolm Blake," she announced."I'm in deep shit."THREE WEEK LATER LEILANI It's been three weeks now and I have been living like nothing happened. I did as Sienna asked and lied to my mum, who always asks about my virginity whenever she calls. I felt guilty for lying to her at first, but Sienna made me realize that it was my body and I owe no one an explanation."Aren't you going to work today?" Sienna asked, on seeing me still lazily lying on the bed."I'm tired…" I couldn't even complete my statement when a sudden urge to puke came. I hastily stood up from the bed and ran into the adjoining bathroom and puked until there was nothing left. Sienna stood behind me massaging my back to help me calm down."I really think it's time you see a doctor," She suggested.I nodded in agreement. For over one week now, I suddenly developed this morning sickness. "I will ring in sick today, and go to the hospital for a check up," I told her."Do you want me to come with you?" She asked as she led me out of the bathroom."No, I can't have you ski
LEILANII spent the entire day roaming aimlessly at the park. I was hungry, barefooted and tired. But I wasn't going to go home yet, knowing that my mum was still there, probably waiting for me to come back. I found an empty seat, I lowered myself into it. My mum had a church programme to attend in the evening, so all I had to do was wait till it was past five before going back. Although I have made up my mind to go find my baby daddy, I didn't want to go to him looking like a beggar, I need to get back home, tidy up and look good before going to find him. Getting pregnant outside of marriage doesn't make me less human. I still had my dignity to uphold.Finally, the time I have been waiting for came, I rose from the seat and found my way out. Getting home, I find Sienna pacing around the living room worriedly. I slowly entered the house and shut the door. Sienna turned around at the sound of the door shutting. Her eyes widened on seeing me, she hastily ran up to me and pulled me into
MALCOLM "Mum, I would really appreciate it if you leave. I'm busy here and you aren't helping at all. Your constant scolding is making me lose focus." I clasp my hands together, pleading for her to leave.My mum has been in my office since 8 Am trying to make me see reasons why I had to get married. It's already 1 pm and she hasn't shown any sign of leaving."I'm not stepping out of this place until you agree to what I said. You have been together with Isabelle for two years, so why are you hesitant on getting married to her?" My mum asks, her eyes gauging me.I pretended not to have heard her and focused my attention on my laptop. Even though I couldn't concentrate, I still stared blankly at the laptop. I wanted to give my mum the impression that I wasn't listening to her, so she would leave. But who am I kidding? BANG My mum forcefully shut my laptop, making the screen crack. I look up at her, anger clouding my vision."You broke it," I growled."So what? If you had answered my qu
LEILANI I yelped in pain as the steaming coffee came in contact with my skin. I felt my skin burn and tears clouded my vision."Get lost," the lady who had just splashed hot coffee on me said, staring daggers at me.I gazed at my one-night stand, who stood there watching the entire drama unfold with a nonchalant expression. Tears rolled down my eyes without restraint and I quickly looked away. I heard murmurs and looked around, only to see that employees were gathered watching us. Embarrassed was an understatement of how I felt. Hastily I turned around and ran as if my pants were on fire. I ran with all my strength and might, I bawled my eyes out as I ran. Embarrassed and dejected. I felt like the universe was suddenly against me. I kept running, twice, vehicles nearly knocked me down. But I cared less. I kept running to get far away from that awful place.Finally stopping at the bus stop, I lowered myself into the empty seat and stared blankly into the space, lost in thoughts. My bab
FIVE YEARS LATER LEILANI "Mummy, can you take me to school today, please?" my little bundle of joy asks.I crouched down to her and held her hands, smiling lovingly at her."Don't you want your nanny to take you to school?" I ask, gently caressing her hand."No, nanny scolds a lot. Nanny is so scary," my five years old daughter complained.Hearing this, I felt anger cloud my senses."Who the heck did the nanny think she is to scold my precious daughter and make her scared," I thought, annoyed.I abandoned my handbag on the couch, carried Melinda and stormed towards her nanny's room."Sarah!" I yelled in anger.In a split second, the nanny hastily left her room and came to meet me.I watched as she gulped nervously, on seeing Melinda in my arms."I pay you to take care of my daughter, right?""Yes ma'am," she answered and bowed her head, taking in shaky breaths.I exhale and tried to calm myself down."Tell me, why do you always scold Linda?""I'm sorry ma'am, it will never happen ag
LEILANI "Mum, where are we going?" Melinda, who I had just woken up asked, staring curiously at me. "California," I answered and led her to the bathroom to brush her teeth. "Why are we going to California?" She asked. I couldn't help but notice that she was staring expectantly at me, as if there was a specific reply she wanted. "We are going for business, we will return soon," I replied. But then her face fell. "What's wrong baby," I asked worriedly. Linda shook her head. "Nothing." I was not satisfied with her answer. I know my daughter and I can recognize each look on her face. Melinda seemed to be holding back on voicing out her thoughts. I gazed at her and feigned a hurt expression. "I will be hurt if you do not tell me what's wrong with you." Her brilliant little eyes stayed on my face for a while, and then she sighed. "I was wondering if we were going to California to finally see Dad. But then you said it was for business. I couldn't help but feel disappointed," Meli
MALCOLM "I don't think it's necessary for you to go to New York yourself, I can just go alone," Michael said for the hundredth time today. We had just arrived at the airport and were rushing over to the checkpoint, as we were already late. Michael kept trying to make me see reasons why I shouldn't go to New York, but then, my mind was already made up and nothing was going to change it. I needed to know what was going on with the company. "You should save your strength, Mich. I won't change my mind," I said with a note of finality. Michael sighed and didn't say another word. Silently, we hurried over to the checkpoint. "Mr!" I heard a tiny voice call out. I wasn't the only man at the airport, so I didn't bother to look back. "Mr!" The calling persisted. "I think you are the one she is calling," Michael who had turned back said, making turn back as well. My eyes widened on seeing a little girl running over to me with my passport and wallet in her hands. "You dropped this," she s
MALCOLM "Don't worry, I won't hurt her. I will claim her and make her mine. Then watch you wither in anguish," Lucian said, making me glower at him. "Don't try me, Lucian. You know what I'm capable of," I warned, my eyes flashing. Lucian laughed mockingly at me. "I'm hundred percent aware of what you are capable of. You are a loser who runs away from your responsibilities. Isn't that what you can do most?" He asked tauntingly and stared at me, his eyes glinting in mischief. I felt my anger dissipate, guilt took over. "It has been years, Malcolm. You shouldn't keep blaming yourself," I whispered to myself. But then, I still felt guilty. "I'm sure you abandoned your daughter and Leilani. But do not worry, I took very good care of them. I'm sure they will prefer me to you," Lucian mocked. "Don't stress your poor self, I'll take very good care of them," he said, dusting invisible dirt off my shirt. "Just don't show your face to them again. I'm sure you don't want them to suffer
LEILANI Here I am, seated on the sandy beach overlooking the vast water. However, instead of watching the water being pushed around by the waves like everyone else, My entire attention is on my two adorable kids, building sand castles in a corner. “Stop that, Melinda,” Miranda screams at Melinda who was so invested in destroying the sand castle she had built. “Let’s do something else, I’m tired of building sand castles every time we visit the beach,” Melinda yells and continues to kick and scatter the sand castle they had spent almost an hour building. “Melinda, stop that,” I yell, bringing their attention to me. “She doesn’t want to play with me,” Melinda complains, her eyes getting moist. “You mustn’t run around all the time,” I say, but Melinda was hearing none of it. She threw herself on the ground and began to roll herself on the floor. “Melinda, stop that,” I say, now pissed off at her unruly behaviour. She rises from the ground and grabs hold of Miranda’s swimsuit. “Th
FIVE MONTHS LATER MIRANDA “Stop that Melinda!” I screamed as she continuously banged her spoon on a stainless plate, creating a loud disturbing noise. “You never like playing!” She screams back, giggling. “I’m trying to study,” I replied, pulling my hair. But my crazy twin smiled and banged the spoon on the plate even more loudly. “Fine,” I say, slamming my book shut and rising from the bed. “What do you want to do?” I ask. “Yes!” she screams and leaps up. It’s been five months since I was taken home by my real family, five months since I discovered Aunt Isabelle’s true colours, Five months since I found people who sincerely love me and wished the best for me. Honestly, my family has become the most important part of my life. I can never stay a day without seeing them. My mum, Leilani, treats me like I'm the most precious thing on earth, and most times I wonder why Melinda never gets jealous. My dad, on the other hand, treats me like I'm the most delicate thing on earth. He
MIRANDA “Is that another me?” the little girl who looks exactly like me gasps I stood still, unable to say a word and watched as she also took steps towards me, her legs shaky and her eyes fixed on my face the entire time. Getting to me, she raises her hand to touch my face. But then, I am reminded of Aunt Isabelle's words about her being the major reason why my parents don't want me. "Don't touch me," I snarled and roughly shoved her aside. "I need to speak with Malcolm Blake and his wife," I said, older this time. "That's my mum and dad," the girl who looks exactly like me says. I glanced at her and eyed her unpleasantly. "I'm not dragging that with you," I snarled at her. "Anyone getting the duo, or I should barge in and find their suite myself?" I ask. "No, I'll call them," the lady says. Nodding my head at her answer, I stood still watching her make a phone conversation. "They'll be here soon," she says, putting down her phone. "So doppelgangers are real," the annoyi
MIRANDA I was so engrossed in the storybook Aunt Isabelle had purchased for me when I noticed someone trying to come into my room through the window. Scared, I got into the closet to hide myself. I would’ve called Aunt Isabelle, but then I recalled that she had warned me on several occasions to always keep my windows locked. Not wanting to get scolded by her, I carefully hid myself inside my closet and shut the door, heart beating erratically and waiting for the intruder to show up. However, after a long wait, no one showed up, making me look out of the closet. Then, I heard someone screaming for help. People asking for help was a normal occurrence in our neighbourhood. I’ve always watched a lot of people struggle with their captors. It was a daily occurrence that scared me. But then, I always watch to know who to look out for. Like always, I tiptoed to the window and that was when I caught sight of a familiar woman being pulled by the hair. For some reason, the way the man was tuggin
"Miranda." I gasped and stared wide-eyed at my little angel staring down at me. The maniac kept tugging my hair to bring my attention to him, but then it was as if I couldn't feel any of those at this moment. My entire focus was on the little girl in the window. "Miran…" I try to call again. But then, I'm cut shut as a familiar voice calls out the name before I could complete it. "Miranda," Isabelle's annoying voice sounded. At that moment, I felt my skin crawl and my heart began to beat frantically. "Don't tell me Elodie and her husband gave my daughter to this witch," I mumbled, gripped by fear. Having witnessed what Isabelle is capable of, the last thing I want is to have her next to my loved ones. Most especially, my daughters, but it seemed like that was just my wishful thinking. Eyes still on the window, I watch my daughter's face lit up with a smile the moment Isabelle reaches her side. I watched, with tears trailing down my cheeks as Isabelle fondly pats my daughter's hai
LEILANI “What?” I gasp in shock. Malcolm ignores me and rises from his seat. I grab hold of his hand to stop him from walking away. “How can you just drop an information like this and suddenly try to leave without explaining things to me?” I ask, still in shock. Disbelief clearly written on my face. “What? You suddenly want to believe my words right now?” Malcolm asks and pulls his arm off my grasp. “Malcolm,” I whisper in shock at the force he used in pulling his hand away. “What Leilani? What! I'm sick and tired of constantly having to explain myself to you countless number of times. I try to please and understand you all the time, but you keep making things hard for me. Tell me, do you even believe what I just said about Elodie?” He suddenly throws a question at me. I stare at him without saying a word. Honestly, this news is a shocker and I'm having a hard time believing it. “See, you don’t,” he says. Casting one last look at me, he dumps his cutleries, not caring if they f
LEILANI “When did we suddenly get to this?” I ask myself. I stood in place, too shocked to move. This was the first time a gun was being pointed at me. Yeah, I live in the United States, and shooting often occurs. But then, this is the first time I’m actually witnessing it. I watched as the guy pulled the trigger. “Is this my end?” I ask. Suddenly, I’m snatched like I weigh nothing and thrown aside. “You really want to die, don’t you?” Malcolm’s angry voice echoes. His voice sounded so far away, yet I was in his arms. My focus was on the masked guy trying to get away. I watch as he slips into one of the hospital rooms. “Baby,” Malcolm calls, shaking me rigorously. “Huh,” I answer absent-mindedly. “Leilani!” he suddenly yells my name. Making me snap out of whatever trance I was in. “He tried to shoot me,” I mumble. “I almost died without meeting my daughter,” I begin to cry. “Almost, but you didn’t,” he says, pulling me further into his arms. “She is dead,” I mumble, point
LEILANI The moment Frank runs past us with his skinny wife in his arms, Malcolm and I immediately run after him. Getting outside the building, Frank runs over to an old truck that looks like it will break down at any minute. “Are you honestly taking her to the hospital with that?” I ask “Let’s use my car,” Malcolm calls after him. Soon, we all got into Malcolm’s car, and he speeds to the hospital. Getting to the hospital, Elodie is lowered into a stretcher and wheeled into the emergency room. Malcolm and Frank goes off, as Frank mentions that he would like their family doctor to attend to her since he works here. I watch as both of them walk away in search of the doctor. Frank’s sister and I rushes after Elodie, who was already wheeled to the emergency room. “Has something like this happened to her before?” I queried her. She gave me one downgrading look and didn’t bother to answer. It is already bad enough that I haven’t seen my daughter even when I’m already in Colorado. Now,
LEILANI "You should pull yourself together, Lani. I'm sure you don't want Melinda to worry about you," Malcolm says the moment he ends the call. I didn't say a word and quietly snuggled into his chest. Honestly, I, too, knew I must have frightened Melinda. Heaven knows how she is feeling right now. This is one of the reasons why I said I'm not a good mother. "I'll go heat the milk. You need something to help you calm down," Malcolm says and proceeds to leave the room. Just as soon as he leaves, my phone rings, and I realize it's Sienna after speaking with Sienna. I felt calm and knew that I didn't need the milk to calm me down again, as my best friend had already did. I rose from the bed and found my way down the stairs. I was barefooted, so my feet barely made any sound. Getting to the kitchen, I found Malcolm on a call with his back turned on me. Not wanting to distract him from the call, I quietly stood behind him while waiting for him to finish answering the call. "You mean my