I hurried downstairs, rushing to the kitchen to ask my mother if she had any pads or tampons. I wasn’t expecting my period this soon, but here it was, catching me off guard. It must be from the stress of the last two days and not getting enough sleep. Pushing the door open, I found her standing with the housemaid. "Mother, do you have any pads or tampons?" I asked, waiting for her response. But she didn’t answer right away. It was like her mind was elsewhere. Before she could respond, the maid spoke up. "I have a few pads. I will get them for you." She offered, turning to leave the room."Thank you, I will be waiting." She nodded and walked out, leaving me alone with my mother, who still hadn’t said a word, her gaze fixed on me."I thought you were pregnant, just hiding it from me. Perhaps you were scared to tell me."Not this again. I had already told her I wasn’t pregnant, but she still didn’t believe me. I can't believe she thinks I'm trying to cover up a pregnancy. If I were pre
RyanIt was late evening. I had just concluded a meeting with my client and was about to leave the lounge when my phone began to ring. Zara’s name flashed on the screen. She had crossed my mind earlier today, and I had considered stopping by to see her at home. Now that she was calling, I figured I should visit her before heading home. I pressed the answer button and placed the phone to my ear."Hey, Zara. Where are you? I’m coming over to the house." I asked.She sniffled at first, mumbling something I couldn’t hear. Just as I was about to ask her to repeat herself, her voice came through clearly."I'm not at home! I got into a little trouble at Shop Rite, and now I can't leave until I pay for it."Did I hear her correctly? What was she talking about? Did she steal something? What kind of trouble could be keeping her there? I would rather not get involved, if the media caught wind of this, they would come after me, but I couldn't just leave her to deal with it alone."Okay, I don’t
EmilyA WEEK LATERToday is the day I have been anticipating. Either I get a valid explanation about what happened to the money, or I take matters into my hands. Mr. Adams can’t fool me, even if he thinks he can fool my father. Since the incident at his office, I haven’t seen him, not even a glimpse. He’s probably been avoiding me. I have never met anyone as arrogant as him.Sure, they are influential, and his father being the Mayor’s closest friend doesn’t give him the right to do whatever he pleases. I know how to deal with people like him, who think power is everything. If they are powerful, let’s see if they have the money. I will make sure he faces consequences. And dragging my marriage into this only fuels how far I’m willing to go.I walked into the boardroom, where everyone was already waiting for me. I had called the meeting earlier this morning, so I expected everyone to be seated. As I entered the room, I noticed all the managers were present, except for the general manager,
I stepped out of my car, striding towards Whiff Wonders Company. It had been such a productive day. I received an invitation from Anderson to check out their new collection before the launch this week. I'm grateful what happened on the highway remained between us. Father didn’t say a word, and Ethan never found out.The accident made the news, but neither of them suspected I was there, nor that I might have been the target. Either way, I need to be more cautious and meticulous. I don’t know who’s out there trying to harm me for reasons I don’t even understand.As I approached the entrance, I heard someone calling my name and running towards me from behind. Turning around, I saw a man I didn’t recognize. His face seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place him or remember where I might have seen him. I paused, waiting for him to catch up."Hello! How can I help you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. A wide grin spread across his face, and I wondered if there was something on mine that made him s
We were all rushed to the hospital after the explosion. I was the only one who wasn’t admitted, having escaped without injury. Anderson, though physically unharmed, remained unconscious. When I asked the doctor why, he said Anderson needed rest to recover from the shock.It’s been thirty minutes since we arrived at the hospital, and I stayed to check on his secretary, who sustained minor injuries. The last thing I remember before losing consciousness was her placing the box in the car, yet she somehow escaped with barely few scratches, and minor injuries.Upon waking, I called Ethan, even though he's flying out of the country. I also tried contacting Father, but his phone wasn’t connecting. Calling Ethan over makes me feel like a burden already. I had to call to inform him of what had happened.I stood outside the hospital room, pacing back and forth, waiting for the doctor to come out of the room where Anderson's secretary was admitted. The stares and murmurs from people passing by w
There was a knock on the door. Spinning around, I saw Ethan walking in with a nurse behind him, carrying some injections. He flashed me a smile, standing next to me."Father is here." He informed me. I stood up, the thought of Father being around filled me with excitement."Where is he?" I asked, staring at the door, waiting for him to walk in. Just as expected, he was pushing the door open. I walked toward him and pulled him in for a warm hug."Are you okay? Did you sustain any injuries?" He asked as I clutched tightly to him."No, I'm fine. I lost consciousness, but when we got to the hospital, I woke up. They run some check up on me, I'm fine."He pulled out of the hug, turning me around to be certain. "I'm glad you’re fine. What about her?" He pointed at Anderson's secretary."The doctor said she will be fine. She has a few injuries, although she might not recognize people when she wakes up." Ethan responded in my place.I watched his expression grow darker with each passing secon
"How are you feeling now?" Father asked Anderson, who was now seated on the bed, his back resting against the wall. We were outside when the nurse came to inform us that he was awake."I'm fine. I should be asking how your daughter is doing. I invited her over, and this happened." He responded, his tone weak as disappointment washed over him.Is he blaming himself? Why would he, when it was my car that exploded? I caused it. If I hadn't come over to his place, this wouldn’t have happened. I watched as Father and Ethan glanced at each other, then back at him."It’s not your fault. My sister is doing fine, you can see for yourself. Though your secretary is still unconscious." Ethan responded.I watched as he struggled to adjust, pressing onto the bed. "The nurse told me there’s not much damage. She’ll be fine.""Yes, she will be fine, but it might take a while for her to wake up. The doctor assured us she’s stable, no complications." I added."Yes, she will be fine. Be strong, and get b
RyanIt’s been a month since I heard about the incident. The media has been covering it every day, to the point where they have nothing else to discuss except what happened that day. I don’t know the full details, but one thing is certain, someone tried to kill her.It pisses me off whenever I recall that she was at Whiff Wonders when it happened. I had sent Jasper out that day, hoping everything would go smoothly. She just had to choose a day to meet discreetly. I couldn’t do it publicly because of the warning I received from an anonymous sender.The threat has been making me hesitant; otherwise, I would have acted according to my plans. I would have met with her right after the banquet.Rumor has it she’s doing well, and the company is performing better than expected. I have to applaud her for her hard work. There’s no doubt she was a role model to some employees even before I married her.Months have passed, and the threats have stopped coming. I haven’t received anything unusual li
I arrived home and made my way upstairs to freshen up before thinking about grabbing dinner. It had been months since I last cooked, but making something tonight didn’t seem like a bad idea. I dropped my phone on the bed and proceeded to strip off my clothes. While reaching for my T-shirt, I thought I heard some commotion outside. The voices sounded distant, and it would take a minute to get downstairs to check.I ignored it and turned to walk into the washroom when a knock on my bedroom door halted me."Jasper, is that you?" I asked, waiting quietly for a response."Yes, we have a problem." He replied, and I immediately thought about the voices I had heard. "Anderson showed up and refuses to leave until he meets you."Anderson? What does he want? Could the police still be watching us? Does he want to get dragged in for questioning? It’s only been a few days since his accomplice died—why is he showing up at my house now? I need to warn him."I will be downstairs." I responded.Heading
Ryan It was late in the evening. I had been indoors working all day, but an idea suddenly popped into my head, prompting me to step out. The death of the figure we held hostage still lingered in my mind. I decided it was time to find out more about the kind of person he was and the people he worked for. If Anderson was truly one of them, then it’s likely they worked together before he was killed. I recalled keeping a business card belonging to one of the men from the abandoned estate where the figure resided. He had claimed he wasn’t a killer, and if he was telling the truth, then I needed to uncover who he really was before that bastard ended his life. I have tried every possible way to catch the perpetrator, but nothing has worked so far. What other avenue is left for me to explore? I was a peaceful young man during my school days, with no issues or conflicts with anyone. Yet here I am, entangled in a web of betrayal and violence. In my line of business, there are many who have
We spent the entire day moving from one orphanage to another, distributing the items I had asked Ethan to arrange for me. I hadn’t been to the office all day. Though it was the weekend, I still had work to catch up on. As soon as I left the house, we headed to the store where the items were packed.Father was kind enough to hire some guards to accompany me on the journey. I went out with a convoy of vehicles, which I hadn’t expected until they showed up at the location where the goods were stored.The guards helped load everything into the cars, and we set off to deliver the items to the orphanages. It had been a fun and fulfilling day since morning, though I had overheard some of them complaining about being hungry.We had breakfast before leaving, but I guess going there and here, had made them all exhausted. They made a great team, I wasn't just going out with them, they were all entertaining and fun to be with.We were headed to a Christian orphanage run by a group of reverend sis
As we arrived at the courthouse, I spotted the lawyer outside, engaged in a conversation with an elderly lady. The area was slightly crowded, making me wonder if the session had already concluded.Stepping out of the car, my gaze shifted to Adams, who was emerging from the courthouse exit. His expression was dark, and moments later, his father followed behind him, both looking tense. I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to put them in such a mood.I walked toward the lawyer, who waved me over. As I approached, I noticed Adams heading in my direction. Ignoring him, I focused on the lawyer."Don’t tell me I’m late. I left as soon as I called you." I said, standing beside the elderly lady he had been speaking to, exchanging greetings."When you called, we were about to enter the courthouse. The evidence you provided was strong enough to wrap things up quickly." He replied."Emily, I need to talk to you." Adams interrupted, his voice firm."I'm sorry, you can't see her. Please lea
EmilyIf I hadn't grown up a bit before Father left us, I wouldn't have believed what Mother told me a few hours ago. I had a rough childhood, and he was never there for me. Mother wasn’t allowed to show me love, which I guess was why she lied to me—saying he had died—and ran away with me.But did he really tell her he wouldn’t come home unless she sent me back to the orphanage? Did he divorce her because of that? How could he have trust issues when he knew she liked his friend before he made his intentions known to her?Two best friends fell in love with her, but she ended up with him. Such a miserable man I call Father. How could he even think Mother slept with his best friend when she was married to him? Was he that insecure because he was lucky to wed her instead of his friend?Mother did the right thing by leaving him. I'm glad I didn't grow up with him. Who knows, he might have killed me by now and claimed it was an accident. I have a father who cherishes me, I should hold him d
Ryan I sat in the car, waiting for Zara to come prove she was in her hostel and not somewhere else. The clip my men sent me played on repeat in my head, a video of her walking out of Empire Company. What was she doing there? I had warned her countless times to stay away from Emily. The last time she interfered in Emily’s business, she got a punch for her efforts. And now, she had the audacity to go all the way to her company. For what exactly? I sent Zara to this school for a reason, to study and, most importantly, to stay away from Emily. But clearly, a two-hour drive wasn’t enough of a deterrent for her. If she needed anything, why couldn’t she have called Jasper? Or me? Instead, she chose to disobey, as if my warnings meant nothing. She had claimed she was in her hostel over an hour ago, saying she needed to freshen up before coming out. But the timeline didn’t add up. It was clear she hadn’t been in her hostel, at least not the whole time. And now I was left to wonder how man
As I swiped it open, a video clip popped up, and I proceeded to play it. The sight of what I saw almost made me drop my phone. Remembering I was still in the reception area, I hurried down to my office and shut the door behind me. Watching the clip, I clutched my chest, struggling to breathe. This has been happening right under my nose, and I’m just finding out? How long has he been sleeping with her? Did he really sleep with her? Unable to take it any longer, I let the tears roll down my cheeks, crying out the pain that surged through me. Is this why he never looked at me with love? I tried for four long years, was I never good enough for him? What did I do to deserve this? Was liking him my mistake? Has he been with her all these years? Where? How? And why am I just finding out now? I reached for my face and wiped my tears away. He’s not worth it. Why should I cry? It’s been months already, but I still can’t get over him, no matter how much effort I put in. Fine, we are divorce
I woke up to voices drifting from another room—or so I thought. It wasn’t until I jumped out of bed and made my way downstairs that I realized the voices were real. Following the sound, I marched into the living room, only to find Father and Ethan fully dressed, with Biggy standing beside them, arms folded.I froze, furrowing my brows as I scanned the room. They were deep in conversation, so much so that none of them noticed me standing there."You are all dressed? Are you heading somewhere? It’s still early to go out." I said, breaking the conversation and drawing their attention.Father turned, smiling faintly as I stepped closer. I wrapped him in a quick hug. "Good morning." I greeted, pulling back."Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?" He asked."I did," I replied, then turned to Ethan, who patted my hair lightly."Hope you are okay?" Ethan asked.I nodded but kept my focus on them. "Where are you all going?"Father cleared his throat. "We are heading out. Mr. Lincoln wi
It was time for me to go home, but there was still no sign of Biggy. He said he would be back, so why hasn’t he shown up yet? I didn’t bother asking where he was going earlier, and now his number isn’t connecting. What could be wrong? I just hope he’s okay.Instead of waiting around, I decided to leave and take a cab home. He had gone out in my car, so I couldn’t use the company vehicle to leave. As for driving a bus… maybe I could, but I have never tried it before.That shouldn’t be an excuse, an emergency could force me to drive it someday. But for today, I will just take a cab home. Picking up my bag, I made my way to the lot to hail one.As I stood outside, Ethan’s car came to a halt in front of me. He rolled down the window, lowering his head to meet my gaze."Hop in; I will drop you off at home." He said.Without hesitation, I opened the car door, settled into the passenger seat, and buckled my seatbelt.“Why are you the one picking me up? I can't reach my guard.” I asked.“He c