WRITER’S POV Collins grumbled into the elevator headed for the down floor of Morgan's building. His eyes were strained and his face hardened. As if the workers noticed, they all kept to themselves. They knew better to avoid his temper. His forehead ached terribly and his fingers hurt. He didn't know if it was the tireless work he had done the last couple of days or the thought that his father was forcing marriage on him that caused it. He had thought about it a lot, even threw his pride aside and spoken to his father about it calmly. Yet his father wouldn't bulge. What in the world did Jay Adams say to him? Before, all he had to do was pretend to turn a new leaf, focus on work and refrain himself from smiling or allowing a woman to smile at him and his father would give in and let him be. But now he was hell bent on getting him married and not just to anyone but a bitch like Margaret. The thought of Margaret had a few bumps crept up his arms. She was very strange and smelt of not
WRITER'S POV“Hello Mrs Connie,” Jessica greeted, swaying into the office. Mrs Connie who was standing and arranging a set of files on the desk stopped and in her usual way peered at her over her glasses. For someone that hated office work, she seemed oddly excited to be back to work. “Hello, Miss Jessica Brown. I believe you don't have a job in this particular office anymore.”“Oh about that, it's not a problem. I will sort that out with J–Chairman Jay now,” Jessica said and headed for Jay's office. She could feel Ms Connie’s judgemental eyes on her all the way. Midway she stylishly tilted her head behind to catch her in the act but Mrs Connie was looking down into her computer very disinterested in anything else going on. Jessica shrugged wondering if perhaps she was the one that over-thought things. Maybe Mrs Connie didn't even give a heck about her. “Hey Jay—no, I mean–” She started on entering Jay’s office. She straightened her pose in an official and dutiful way and slightly
WRITER'S POV Tina stepped into the elevator but as the elevator slowly shut, a hand grasped the closing door forcing it to halt. “Get down. We need to talk,” Collins Morgan said. It was one thing being spoken to rudely but commanding her to get down made her angry. “What are you doing here? And what makes you think you—”But before she could finish, Collins had turned around and headed for the reception. Gritting a groan, she followed him. “You asked me to meet you,” Collins said as she joined his table. “You decided to finally show up after how many days.”Collins ignored her remark. “What is it you wanted to tell me?’“Don't you think you are a little too late for that?”Collins forced back a bile. “Something came up. Say it now.”“Don't command me. I'm not one of your servants and besides that offer isn't on the table anymore. Don't try this with me next time.”Tina got up and started to walk away. As soon as she stepped into the elevator, a hand grabbed her and the elevator
KAREN'S POV “You think something serious is keeping them?”“Relax. It's going to be fine,” Jay assured me, squeezing my hand gently. Tina and her boyfriend were running late. Even though he wouldn't say it, Jay must have thought I was overacting. Anyone would. Tina wasn't picking up and was yet to arrive. “Excuse me. Would you like to order now?” The waitress came around our table for the third time since we arrived. Jay looked at me helplessly. “No. We are waiting for another group. We would do that as soon as they arrive,” he said, discharging the waitress. His rubbing and squeezing my hand gently comforted me but perhaps the sight of Tina entering with his boyfriend would take the pain away totally. I was excited to meet him. An outsider would probably think I was interested in me more than I should. But they probably wouldn't understand. Tina had always been the one men wanted. When we both stood in the same space, men wanted her. I was the odd one, the one that couldn't la
WRITER'S POV“Damnit!” Tina slammed the door as she stepped into her room. The moment she turned the lights on, she hissed and then crashed onto the bed. She had just wasted over thirty minutes of her time hearing Karen brag about her boyfriend. When Karen said “let's have fun” should have been her cue to know she was about to get annoyingly cocky. She just hated her. She always pretended to be innocent yet she did things that hurt other people. “Look at her talking about Jay as if he was hers. He is mine and I will show it soon.”All she had wanted was to split them apart but she had ended up throwing herself under the bus and looking like the bad one. Still boiling, she stood up and picked up her laptop. It was finally time. “I gave you enough chances Jay. Don't blame me now.”Then she parked a few of her things into a bag and headed for Karen's house. “Tina?” Karen gasped. Her eyes swung down at the parked bag in Tina's hands. “Did your Mom…”“Can I sleep here for a couple of
WRITER'S POV Karen stopped in front of the restaurant. She stared up at the signboard as if trying to reaffirm she was at the right place. Of course she had chosen here and knew top off her head she was at the right place. Yet for obvious reasons she felt jittery coming alone to meet a man she knew she wasn't supposed to meet. She momentarily wondered if she should have informed someone before coming…just in case. She was probably going to regret it but she wanted to do this. She had to do it. As she wanted the place was filled up just in case her guest decides to move mad. Nothing would happen. These people here would be her shield. Taking a deep breath, she finally sauntered in. Just as she tried to figure out where to sit, she sighted Collins at the far edge of the window adjacent to the entrance. She dragged in another breath before she headed over there. “Hey.”Collins saw her and quickly stood up. “Hello,” he said as he pushed out a seat. “Please sit.”For a split second,
WRITER'S POVCollins stepped away from the door. His eyes squinted. Again, Margaret didn't look like she was just messing around with him. “What rubbish are you talking about?”“Have a look.”She played a video and pointed her phone to his face. Collins stared horrified at the phone screen, his face drained instantly of colour. “What…where…”“So, how many years will it be? Oh, I even heard the girl in question didn't make it. Poor kid.”He tried to snatch the phone but Margaret retracted her hand before he got the chance. He glared at her. “Who are you…who the fuvk are you…”Enraged, he reached to grab her but she overpowered him and twisted his arm and didn't stop until he groaned before she left him. “You bitch… what did you do to my father…who are you!” Collins drew in a sharp breath, the sound rough and controlled as he tried to steady himself. Margaret smoothened his hair and eased out the numbness in his fingers. How long she had waited for this moment…how long and hard she
WRITER'S POVJessica's sharp burst of laughter reverberated through the room. She could not believe it. Still reeling in disbelief she collected the iPad from Craig and took another look. “Are you sure of this?”“Yes. It's very certain Miss Karen made the post. We hacked into the database of the account that posted the story and it was opened with her ID and phone number,” Craig explained. “Wow! That bitch! She is even cunnier than her little friend. How should I punish her? Kidnap her and beat her to death? Hire a killer to kill her without having to see her disgusted blood? First, I need to see Jay. Prepare the car…”“I'm afraid, ma'am, but you can't step out now.”She halted and tilted her head just enough to cock her brow at Craig. “Why? Isn't the news dying down already?”“Some reporters are still hanging out around Adams group. They probably are waiting to see you return to work.” “Those jobless bastards. They should really get a life,” Jessica groaned in exasperation. She
KAREN'S POV Arriving at Denva after one month of being away felt like I had been away for so long. Like I was stepping in a new place. Maybe it was just that part of me that was feeling a bit refreshed. I got out of the long bus dragging my echolac along. One of the things I wanted to do the moment I returned to Denva was visit Jessica. Glad she was being punished for her crimes. I also heard about Collins Morgan. Maybe at one point, I thought he was cute but not until I learned the other side of him. After I read the things he did to women, I could never see him in a pure light again. He was in jail too. He got what he deserved. As I sat in the visitor seat waiting for them to bring Jessica out, I imagined me being the one on the other side. I mean, it was almost me if not for Tina “I didn't expect to see you here. What is it?” Jessica slurred as she settled down. “Me neither.”“So? Are you here to gloat?”“Why did you do it?”“Why I did it? Because I hate it when bitches like
A MONTH LATERJay pulled up in the empty space of Anderson ‘s front yard which had turned to become his personal parking space in the last month. He had just opened the car door to step down when the frontage of the house opened and both Lily and Mr Anderson poked their heads out. He didn't need them to speak to see the magnitude of disappointment in their eyes. Of course he knew they would rather have Karen be the one appearing in front of the house and not him. And he also knew they always ran out to check each time a car pulled up in front of the house in the hope that it was Karen. They might likely not know because he never showed it but he missed her more than he could describe. He sighed and his teeth grinded in his mouth as he finally stepped down. “Hello, Mr Anderson,” he greeted wearing the smile he had learned to wear in the last month. Mr Anderson, like he always had done, took his hand into a firm shake and welcomed him inside. Mr Anderson offered him his usual kol
WRITER'S POV“You…how…what are you doing here?” Margaret waved a hand as she walked in majestically. “Hello fiancé.” Collins gaped in shock. slowly everything began to make sense. “What did you do to me?” He snarled. “Oh, come on, shouldn’t you say Hi to your fiance first?”“What did you fuvking do to me!”Detective Defoe ordered that Zach and Hunter be taken away from the room leaving only Collins and Margaret. Collins was still clenching and fuming. “You have been spiking my drinks…you are the cause of all this…”“Like how you and your friends have been doing to those innocent girls? Oh, common' you don't think I can stoop to that level now do you.”No matter how much Collins reasoned it, there was no other explanation as to how drugs were detected in his blood. Either detective Defoe tampered with the original results or it was the devil before him. “What exactly did I do to you? Why are you out to get me? Why! Why! No matter how I think about it, I have not offended you in any
WRITER'S POV Jay spoke to the lawyer in charge of Karen's case. What the lawyer told him worried him. Karen risked being detained in the holding cell after twenty four hours. He had already hired a private investigator to investigate the case. His eyes appeared weary. He had not had a moment of rest ever since Karen was taken in. Adams group needed him but Karen needed him too. Against Hugo's wishes, he had opted to stay back in the police station while he let him hold the forte back at the company. Even though Karen sent him away, he had refused to leave. He knew she was upset at him and he completely understood. All he wanted more than anything was to get her out of here. Later he spoke to the officer to let him speak to Karen again. To his relief, Karen permitted. “I spoke to your lawyer,” he said when they were given privacy. “What did he say?”“It's more difficult than we thought. The hitman maintains you sent him. We need solid evidence to disprove his claim and I asked t
WRITER'S POV “Your hands at the back of your head!”Zach's gleeful laughter was booming in the room when the door burst open and a team of policemen barged in. Instantly it seized. Pistols aimed at their faces.Alarmed, Collins sat up. Hunter and Zach frightfully pushed away the girl who looked half dead from the drugs she had been made to shove down. “Who called the cops?” Collins gritted, shooting glares at Zach and Hunter. “We should be asking you that!” Zach slammed back.“Your hands at the back of your head!” The officer repeated his warning. Collins could feel his shirt soak with sudden perspiration as he looked around in utmost disbelief and fear inside. He had been arrested for a lot of things but had never been caught right in the act and why in this place of all places. “Shit!”Detective Defoe stepped forward, a victorious smirk lingering in his lip. “Is there a need for us to read your Miranda rights…this wouldn't be your first rodeo,” he said and pressed the cuff firml
WRITER'S POV A FEW HOURS AGO BEFORE KAREN'S ARREST “What!” Jessica's yelp and her palm finding Craig's face happened in quick succession. “Say it again. What did you just say?”Craig’s jaw grinded. It pained him how he had been foolish to want to accept the challenge of tolerating a spoiled brat. Now he was too deep into the shit to take a step back. “It was Miss Tina that was shot. The hit man mistook her for miss Karen as she saw her coming out of Miss Karen's house.”“Simple job! Just a simple thing to do. Useless people! Can't get anything done right.” Then she spun at Craig, “You brought that idiot to me. You told me he was skilled. What happened? He couldn't take care of one person, just one person! He has been caught and he shot the wrong person. Who did you fuvking bring to me!”She stalked to the wine rack to grab a drink, each step she took fueled by barely contained fury. She had to do something before the man said a word to the police. She had to do something. She had
KAREN'S POV From learning that my friend got shot to hearing the worst news of my life. My friend of many years had wanted me dead because she wanted my man. I couldn't move in my seat. I couldn't, even if I wanted to. I shut my eyes hoping to wake up and find out that everything was all a nightmare until I felt my hand being grabbed and the cold metals clasping my wrist. Maybe it was because I was already numb of any feelings at all that I didn’t feel a pain as the thing locked my arms together. As I was being cuffed, I heard Jay try to speak to one of the officers. Didn't make out his exact words nor the officer’s response but soon they started to take me away. Down the hallway, the pitiful and judgemental gazes of people washed me head to toes. I followed humbly as they led me outside. “I'm coming to the station with her,” I heard Jay say to the officers as they pushed me into the hilux. “No. You don't need to. Officers let's go,” I refused. The last thing I wanted was to wa
WRITER'S POV“What’s wrong?”Jay asked frozen Karen. Karen didn't move. Her hand dropped lifelessly beside her. Every bit of colour was drained from her face as she struggled to process what she had just heard.“I’m sorry, but I have to leave now,” she mumbled absentmindedly and her legs broke into a run. “Wait, Karen!” Jay rushed and grabbed her arm.“You are going the wrong way,” he said. Karen looked and saw she was heading towards the back of the building. She let out a shuddering breath. “I have to go…”“Please, tell me. What's wrong?” Jay demanded softly. “Tina was shot in front of my house,” Karen murmured. “Shot? How…”“I need to leave now. I need to go to her…Tina needs me…” Maybe this was the answer she needed. Tina was more than a best friend. She was her family and she would not have to be made to either choose her or not in order to be with a man. If there was one person who had always been by her side and she would never want to lose, it was Tina. “Jay, about what y
KAREN'S POV It was one of the fewest times I ever wished twenty four hours didn't have to end so quickly. After the exhilarating night, it would have been exhausting if I had to wake up early the next day for work or anything at all. It was already mid day by the time my eyes saw daylight. It was the warm light rays that woke me up. The window, although still closed, allowed a generous trail of sun rays trickling inside. Jay was nowhere to be found. Thinking he would be somewhere in the suite, I called out to him but no response.Something in me kicked. I had seen a similar scenario. Like those times when a man brought his lover for a vacation only for the woman to learn it was actually supposed to be their last time together. Stepping outside the suite and I was welcomed by the workers going about their duties with the nice smell of food and fresheners. I walked up to one of them. “Hello. Excuse me…have you seen a man…”“Yes. He is somewhere around. How about you sit in the wa