I walked into the living room, and there Ryan was, seated on the couch. His gaze met mine, and he smiled. I couldn’t help but smile back, my excitement bubbling over. Seeing him this close after a few days felt surreal."I didn’t expect to meet you here. We could have…" He began, but his words trailed off as he stood and walked toward me. Before I could even drop my bag, he was already pulling me into a hug.I snuggled into him, inhaling his cologne—a sweet mix of strawberry and vanilla. It hadn’t even been a week, but I missed him so much already.I fucking love this man. I’ve always loved him. Nothing has ever changed that. I thought I had moved on, but seeing him now made me realize it was all a lie from the start.Remembering why I was here, I gently pulled away from him. There would be time for this later, but right now, I am needing answers. He had been hiding things from me, and that had to stop.His brows furrowed as I stepped back, the smile on his face fading into a frown"A
RyanI urged Jasper to drive faster. I needed to get to the house before mother leaves. She was supposed to be at home, but ever since Amber went missing, she hadn’t ceased visiting her boyfriend. I had called Zara repeatedly, but she wasn’t answering. Now, I wasn’t sure if she was deliberately ignoring me.Was this all part of some plan? How could she tell Emily she was pregnant with my child? Was she trying to destroy what I was still struggling to rebuild with Emily? She said she would change, yet here she was, tormenting her again.Everyone needed to understand their place in my life. I couldn’t let them ruin what I was building, especially after four years of neglecting Emily and finally trying to make things right.When we arrived at the house, I stepped out of the car and headed straight into the living room. Without hesitation, I ascended the stairs, striding purposefully toward her room.At her door, I knocked briefly, and as soon as she responded, I pushed the door open and
"Just be patient. You heard what your mother said. But she had no right to decide what she thought was good for you." He said, his voice firm yet calm.He sighed, looking away briefly. I could sense the concern in his tone, but as a doctor, he wasn’t supposed to show emotion, especially since this wasn’t about a patient. Doctors are trained to hold back their emotions, reserving their dread for moments when a life is truly lost.He patted my shoulder before standing up from the couch and striding back to his desk.I remained tense, unable to speak since returning from Grace's room. How did I not know she was my cousin? Why would Mother hide this from everyone? Was Amber even aware? She’s nowhere to be found, so I have no idea what she knows.Is she aware Mother hired Zara? Amber and Zara never got along, so it’s possible she knows, and that’s why she despises her. But why would Mother harbor such dislike for her niece and nephew without a good reason?Zara once had a brother, but he p
Emily said they were behind his attack. Why did she allow them into the hospital? What if they finish the job there? Something needs to be done. As for the money he requested, did Zara assign him to do that? Now it all makes sense. The allegations against him weren’t false. The money he was accused of stealing? He took it. "Boss." I looked at him as he extended his hand, offering me his phone. "Ms. Emily." I took the phone from him and placed it to my ear. "Hey, is everything okay? How's your father?" I asked. "Still the same. He hasn't moved or woken up. But that's not why I'm calling. Did you get my messages? I think you should look into it." I sighed. "I did get your message. The mayor's wife told me her husband went to the hospital. Why did you allow them?" "I was leaving Alex's residence when Mother sent me a message. By the time I got there, they had already left. I didn’t get the chance to meet them." Someone needs to find out what truly transpired. Why did they attack hi
EmilyIt's frustrating. I'm beginning to break down, even though I'm doing everything possible to find evidence to bring them down. Ten hours have passed, and I still can't find anything to put them behind bars.I'm slowly losing my sanity in the midst of all this chaos, something I never imagined I would experience in my life. Being wealthy comes with so many troubles.Back then, I was happy with Mother, even though Father didn't come home on some occasions. We always had fun, keeping each other company. But ever since I added "Fernandez" to my name, it hasn't been the same for me.I felt hands on my shoulders. Tilting my head, I came face to face with Lisa. Dressed up, hands on her trolley, ready to leave. She’s supposed to fly out of the country with Father to Atlanta where she runs her fashion company, but because he’s bedridden, she has to go alone."Let me drop you off at the airport." I said, trying to get up, but she pushed me back down and sat on the edge of the couch."Is so
I woke up in an unfamiliar room. I couldn’t recall much, except for seeing Zara behind Adams before I blacked out. When did she even get there? I remembered the conversation with Adams, there was no one in the car, and she wasn’t standing with him. Everything had happened so fast that I had no idea how I ended up in this room. My heartbeat raced at the thought of being held captive. I couldn’t leave Mother all alone, she would have to reach out to Ethan for help. Lisa would panic and probably return to the city if she finds out. Looking around the room, I cautiously eased myself out of the bed. As I prepared to step forward, my eyes landed on my bag and phone sitting neatly on a drawer. How did they get here? There was no way Adams had brought them. All he wanted was my body. But seeing my phone and bag gave me second thoughts. If I wasn’t with Adams, then where was I? The sound of the doorknob twisting pulled me out of my thoughts. I quickly jumped back into the bed, my heart poun
Heading back to the hospital, I noticed my phone’s screen light up briefly before going dark again. I wasn’t sure if it was a call, but curiosity got the better of me. I reached into my bag and pulled it out. There were missed calls from Ethan, along with a message that read: What the hell is going on? Why aren’t you picking up my calls? I frowned. I didn’t recall putting my phone on silent. Why hadn’t I heard it ring? Without overthinking, I dialed Ethan’s number, pressing the phone to my ear as it rang. He picked up almost immediately. "What took you so long to pick up?" He roared, his tone startling me. In all the time I had known Ethan, I’d never heard him yell at me like this. What could have made him this angry? "You’re shouting, Ethan. Can’t you just talk calmly? Yes, you called, and I didn’t hear it. That’s no reason to use the word ‘hell,’" I shot back, my voice laced with irritation. If something was wrong, he needed to talk to me calmly, I would understand. It wasn’t r
"I couldn't bring myself to inform anyone about it. I hadn't expected it to make the news." I explained to Father's friend, Liam, who had flown in as soon as he saw it.He seemed devastated. I didn't know what was going on between Father and him, but the way he looked so pale after hearing the news made me think he wouldn't leave the country without some good news.Since he had walked into the room and asked why I had kept it from them, he hadn't said another word. I believed I was wrong; I wasn't in denial. But the way everyone was making it seem, it felt like I had no right to do what I did.Ethan had already clarified that I was excluded just because I was adopted. But at that point, I wasn't going to let anything stop me from doing what I intended to do."Where's the doctor's office? I need to see him." Liam finally said, looking in Mother's direction."He went out, but I believe he’ll be back soon. You could leave and return, you need to rest; you just flew into the country." Mot
EmilyIt’s been two weeks since everything unfolded, and today the primary election was being held. Father went to the venue alongside Mother to keep him company. Don’t get me wrong, he didn’t go there to support the Mayor. In fact, he believes there’s no chance the Mayor would be among the winners of the primary election. So there’s no guarantee he will even make it to the general election.I had visited the hospital earlier to check on the well-being of my child before heading back home to watch the election updates unfold on the screen.Father had spoken to Ryan about letting his mother have her freedom now that my father had been caught. Though, they’re still going back and forth because Ryan believes she might try to visit him in prison.To make things final, Father advised Ryan to visit the penitentiary and instruct them to deny her any visitation rights. He left for the prison about an hour ago and has yet to return.Since everything was over, I finally had nothing to worry abo
Screeching the car to a halt, I turned off the engine and stepped out. This was the same place where he had once admitted to orchestrating all the tragedies. Why bring me here again? I scanned my surroundings, my eyes darting to every corner. The area was eerily quiet, too quiet. Not a car, not a soul in sight. He knew what he was doing, using this secluded place to his advantage. The sharp tone of my phone snapped me out of my thoughts. I pulled it out and saw Ethan's name flashing on the screen. Great. What now? Ethan had a knack for calling whenever he felt like it, speaking to me like I was beneath him, and then cutting the call before I could say a word. I answered, bringing the phone to my ear while my eyes continued scanning the vicinity. If he brought me here, he could be watching. I had to stay alert. "What the hell did you get involved in? Is this how you plan to take care of my sister?" Ethan's voice boomed through the phone. My jaw clenched. His tone was grating
Ryan I couldn’t believe he ended the call. He’s still as rude as ever. I knew he didn’t just call me; he’s only working with me because that’s what Emily wants. I stood up abruptly, unable to sit still while she was missing. "Where do you think you are going?" Mother asked, preparing to stand up. She’d been indoors ever since I ordered the guards not to let her leave the house. The maid had called earlier to inform me that she hadn’t been eating. That was the only reason I came to see her. She could starve for all I cared, I wouldn’t mind. Amber is gone because of her carelessness, and honestly, I wouldn’t care if something happened to her too. "I'm heading out. I’ll see you later." "You can’t leave me here! I need to step out of this house; I can’t stay locked in forever." She demanded. "I only came here because you’re my mother and because of what the maid told me. Otherwise, you wouldn’t see me here." I paused before adding coldly, "A new maid will be here later to keep yo
Ethan It’s been more than thirty minutes, and we still can’t find Emily. The certifications have been issued to the graduates, and they have taken their oaths, but there’s still no sign of Emily. She can’t just leave without informing anyone. At this point, I blame her guard for giving her the keys without asking questions. How do we find her? People are already leaving. We want to take a family picture, but we can’t find her. If only I had insisted on coming with her. If I had waited, we would have gotten here together. She wouldn’t have left without me knowing where she was headed. She knows I wouldn’t allow her to leave if she didn’t inform me where she was going. "We can’t keep waiting for her. I believe she will come home." Father said, obviously tired of waiting. He’s been seeing guests come to congratulate him on Lisa’s graduation, and has even gotten tired. He should be at home resting, not here when he still has stitches on his body. "She's old enough to take care of hers
It’s been such a busy morning since I woke up. I’ve been helping the maids prepare food for the guests who showed up even before the day had begun. It’s Lisa’s day, and everyone is happy, coming to congratulate and celebrate with her. Finally, we’ve got a neurologist at home. I’ve been wondering how she intends to go after her business.She’ll be resuming work at the hospital a few days later before flying out to her desired place, which Father is still working on. I’m going to miss her; she’s been the most supportive sister and friend I’ve had since I lost my other friends.Everything has happened so fast, in the blink of an eye. I can’t believe I’ve been married before, and now I’m pregnant. I should inform Ryan about it instead of keeping it from him."Hey, what are you thinking?" I looked at the figure. It was Lisa, all dressed up, looking stunning. She was wearing a lace-trim off-shoulder slim dress, with elegant long sleeves and a back cut into a heart shape. Her hair was styled
It was a hectic evening with Lisa. We finally managed to get her something to wear for her graduation. I’m not the one graduating, but I’m so happy she’s signing out of school.When we arrived home, Biggy helped carry the clothes from the car boot while we made our way into the living room.Father hadn’t come with us because he said the Mayor was coming over to see him. I guess he finally agreed to meet him, especially since the scandal he’s caught up in has been spread by bloggers.I’m certain that Ethan had something to do with it, but he feigned ignorance when Father asked him. Speaking of Ethan, I haven’t seen him since he left the office with Freya, who has refused to return despite his requests.We marched into the living room and found Father seated with the Mayor. Their expressions didn’t seem lighthearted.I quietly marched past them and ascended the stairs."Good day, Mayor." Lisa greeted, clearly seated close to Father, as I heard her plop onto the couch."Hello, Lisa! Cong
EmilyIt has been more than ten days since we uncovered the truth that my birth father was the mastermind behind all the chaos that has unfolded. Since Ryan lost track of him that night, there have been no further leads to locate him. My adopted father was livid when he found out, ready to take matters into his hands, but his friend Liam managed to calm him down.There’s a reason I deeply respect Liam. He has a knack for stepping in at the right moment, offering advice that’s both timely and wise. He convinced my father to let Ryan and Ethan handle the situation, especially Ryan, who has been enduring threats and even narrowly escaped death, all because of me.In four years of marriage, I had no idea Ryan was hiding such a burden from me. None of this made sense at first, but after my birth father admitted to all his crimes, I couldn’t deny the truth. He never truly liked me, not even as a child. If not for my mother standing up for me, I might have ended up in an orphanage, far remov
It took me a few minutes to bring Emily back to her senses. She was losing it and needed someone to ground her. We couldn’t fight her father here, he came prepared, determined to take her away with him. "Don’t say a word." I warned her, turning to face the man standing in front of us. He doesn’t deserve to be anyone’s father. How could Jasper not find anything substantial on him when I asked him to investigate? "I’m disappointed in you." I began, my voice steady and sharp, "not just as Emily’s father but as a so-called boss who can’t even protect his men from danger." He furrowed his brows, clearly confused, as if he didn’t understand what I had just said. "You must remember when I told you that only a fool hides while his world crumbles around him. Your men were kidnapped, yet all you could think to do was chase someone you’ll never catch." "Is this your attempt to provoke me?" He retorted, his tone calm but laced with disdain. "You’ve failed. Your words mean nothing to me." "Ca
I made sure all the plans were in place before stepping out, fully prepared. He’s coming to get Emily, while the twins and their boss are coming for their friends body, and that of his brother. I will finally uncover who wanted Emily dead and went so far as to plant a bomb in her car. The anonymous figure who’s been tormenting me for years, forcing me to divorce her, needs to be unmasked. I need answers. Why has he been doing all this? Once I was ready, I got into the car, buckled my seatbelt, and drove off. We’re out to catch two people today. "Hey, is everything set? Any movement yet?" I asked, gripping the steering wheel tightly as I exited the parking lot. My nerves were shot, not because of the plan itself, but because Ethan kept giving us problems. I could only hope he wouldn’t jeopardize this operation. "Nothing yet, but that doesn’t mean no one will show up. You’ve seen the twin brother. He’s not just starving, he’s like that because he’s been separated from his brother." K