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’m certain we can still work things out, and this time, I’m ready to do whatever she wants. I treated her badly for four years, and I need to make it up to her. I have to protect her from danger, it’s my responsibility. I never should have let her go in the first place. There has to be a way to make things right.I was so focused on the company and taking care of Zara that I never cared enough about her. Business always came first, and I made it my top priority.What’s done is done, I can’t change the past. All I can do now is right my wrongs. I’m not sure what exactly I feel inside, but I know we can work things out.I felt a tap on my hand and turned to see Zara. "We are here." She said. I hadn’t realized Jasper had stopped the car, I was too lost in thought."Let’s go inside." I stepped out of the car first, then walked to her side and opened the door for her. Once she was standing next to me, I took her hand. "You need to keep your promise. I don’t want any drama." I warned her."
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