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."
EmilyI don’t know who invited him or why he's here, but seeing him makes me uneasy. If I had known Ryan would be this close to me, I would have mentally prepared myself to handle it until I could leave. It’s been months since he stood this near, and the tension is palpable."Are you okay?" Anderson asked, his voice gentle.I forced a smile, trying to appear composed, but deep down, with Ryan just a few feet away, I couldn’t shake the discomfort."I’m okay." I replied, hoping it sounded convincing. Just then, a waitress passed by, and I quickly grabbed two glasses of wine. Handing one to Anderson, we clinked our glasses together before I took a sip, trying to ease the growing tension."Thank you for your assistance. I did most of this with your help, I appreciate it.""You are welcome. Please give me a few minutes, I will be right back." I set the glass down and turned toward the hallway.I needed a moment to clear my head. Ryan’s gaze had been making me uncomfortable, and I had to es
RyanHer words played repeatedly in my ears. But why don't I believe her? There's no way she's moved on that fast. We spent four years together, she can't throw everything she had for me just like that. It doesn't seem like she was telling the truth, she must have said that to make me stop bothering her.No, I can't believe what she said. When I held her, I'm sure my touch had an effect on her, the way she reacted, she still feels something for me. I need to act quickly, before Anderson takes his chance and makes his way into her heart.I pushed the thought aside, trying to get back to work. As I typed on my keyboard, her face was all I could see. I couldn't get her out of my mind."Boss." I slowly lifted my head to see my manager. I don't recall hearing a knock on the door, how did he get inside?I raised my brows, waiting for an explanation. "I'm sorry, I knocked, but you didn't respond, so I had to come in.""You should have gone back to your office. Next time, wait until I give yo
I paced back and forth, thinking about what had just happened in the blink of an eye. That was fast, it could have cost me my life if I hadn’t moved quickly. I don’t know where or how the figure was able to reach me.For the past few years, it’s only been threats. I have never received a call before. I must have crossed a line this time for him to actually contact me. But why does he want me to stay away from Emily? In four years of marriage, nothing like this has ever happened. Why now?He doesn’t have a problem with me but with Emily? What has she done to put her life at risk? Whoever this person is, he knows I met her at the launch. But the real question is: was he there? Did he pass by me? How did I not suspect anything? This just proves how dumb I'm for not being more wary.Where do I even start? I can’t trace the call, it came from a burner phone. I need a skilled hacker, someone who can track down this figure.The door to the room swung open, snapping me out of my thoughts. I tu
Emily I stared at the mirror, reapplying my lip gloss. I hate having dry lips, especially after lunch. I made sure to keep it subtle, and once I was done, I turned, ready to leave the restroom. As I reached for the door, a memory of Ryan pushing it open crept into my mind. I couldn’t stop imagining how he pinned me against the wall, and how I had reacted to his touch. What if something had happened between us during our marriage? Would I have reacted the same way? I couldn’t believe I was having these thoughts. I needed to bury the past. Grabbing the doorknob, I pulled it open and walked out, striding back to my office. I had stayed out of the news until this afternoon, and now, Ryan was caught up in a scandal about being gay, and somehow, I was part of it. My only offense was falling in love with him and proposing marriage in exchange for giving blood. There was no reason to drag me into this mess if I never married him. But wait, was he gay all along? Is that why he never felt
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