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
Who does he think he is? He comes into my work environment to order me around because of his son? A father who should be scolding his child and trying to settle things amicably is instead adding fuel to the fire. What a jerk he raised as a son. I’m certain that Father would have let this slide if his son had come clean and shown remorse. I will make sure he hears the recording. His friend supports whatever his son has been doing and perhaps has been aware of it all along. A knock on my door diverted my attention. Lifting my head, I saw my secretary peeking her head inside. "You have a call from your father." She informed me. I looked at the office telephone on my desk, wondering why he didn’t call my cell phone. "He seems really pissed." She added, closing the door behind her. I picked up the phone and placed it to my ear. "Hello, Father," I said, waiting to hear his tone. I'm not sure why he's angry. "What did you do to Mr. Michael?" He roared, his voice harsh. I didn’t know wha
As soon as my client left the room, I hurriedly grabbed my bag and followed behind. I needed to get to the address on time, before Anderson left. I received another text from him, stating I was the only one he was waiting for.Once outside, I hopped into the car and settled into the seat, quickly fastening my seatbelt."Where to, ma'am?" Biggy asked."The address I gave you. Take me there." I instructed."Okay, ma'am." He started the car and drove off. For some reason, my heart kept racing as we drove further.I had tried to find out who was in the car and where the person had been taken after the accident. But even the emergency responders who came to the rescue said they didn’t know what happened after the body was removed from the scene.I had spoken to Anderson about it before, and he asked me to let it go since I was trying to be discreet. But now that he had found out more, I wasn’t sure why he had investigated further."We have arrived, ma'am." Biggy informed me. I looked aroun
"What do you think I should do? I can’t leave her here like this, knowing I’m the cause of all this. I need to find out what happened."I was determined to uncover the truth. It would feel selfish to walk away without understanding what led to this. It’s clear that I was the target that day, there’s no way she would have driven onto the highway without seeing the truck heading for the car.I caught a glimpse of Anderson watching me, his arms folded across his chest."How sure are you she’s here because of you? I didn’t look into this to make you blame yourself." He said, almost in a whisper.I sighed, understanding his point. He is right, I might be overreacting, blaming myself for something beyond my control. I needed to take things slowly.I felt a hand on my shoulder, and when I looked up, I met Anderson's eyes."We don’t have much time. Let’s go. I promise to dig deeper and find out who’s behind this. If it has anything to do with you, I will let you know." His words felt like an
RyanI sat across from the sheriff, waiting as my manager signed the papers presented to him. They had agreed to carry out further investigations and try to find out who was responsible for the damage. While I doubted they would find anything, it was better for them to try than do nothing.I had come to the station after receiving my X-ray results, which thankfully showed no internal injuries. The doctor had prescribed some medication to help relieve the pain. Alex, always looking out for me, had driven me to the station to meet with my manager.Once my manager finished signing, he slid the papers across the desk to the sheriff, dropping the pen on top. The sheriff picked up the documents and added his signature."That’s all." The sheriff said. "You are free to go. If we find anything about the car, we will make sure to contact you.""Alright, we will be on our way then. I hope the culprit is caught soon." I replied, rising from the chair to leave.My manager followed behind as we wal
Nothing made sense to me. If he’s a computer genius and a hacker, why aren’t there any pictures of him from school on his Instagram page? He’s got over twenty million followers, but it’s all just images of him with clients. He doesn’t seem like the type who has friends or even keeps them.Does he keep his personal life completely out of the media? His profile just says he’s a businessman. How am I supposed to believe he’s a genius based on one old photo? Was he involved in the hack on the hospital server the day my divorce went through?Damn it, I barely know anything about him. How am I supposed to confirm if he’s really a hacker? A single picture doesn’t prove anything."Boss, you should believe it," Jasper interrupted, breaking my train of thought. "Stop having doubts. I’m sure he’s the one who hacked the server."I looked at him, trying to hide my frustration. "It’s just a picture, Jasper. How do I believe he’s a genius based on that?"He paused, considering my words. "I get it, b
EmilyReaching for my phone, I marched out of my office. The employees were gathered in the reception area, as I had instructed my secretary to assemble everyone for a public announcement. Word had spread since I last spoke to the managers, and I was sure many had been eagerly awaiting this moment.It wasn't a great day for me, though. While it might be for them after this announcement, I felt weighed down by what I’d discovered yesterday. The conversation I overheard from Anderson gnawed at me. I still didn’t know who my father had ordered to be killed or why the woman at the hospital had run into the truck in my place. The thoughts consumed me, filling me with pain.I remembered standing near the balcony when my father caught me. His presence had shaken me to my core, and the expression on his face was terrifying. I had to muster the courage to speak, trying not to reveal how nervous I was in front of him.Before he could ask if I had been eavesdropping, I blurted out the last state
"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
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
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
I wasn’t sure if I should even be here, but before I knew it, I found myself driving toward her house. I needed an explanation, something to justify what she had done to me. What had I ever done to deserve this? Paying someone else to carry his child, knowing full well he was sick and could barely father one on his own?I could have been patient. I was there for him, ready to wait for as long as it took. I gave up everything, turned my back on my family, my career, my dignity, all for him. What more could I have sacrificed?I stepped out of the car, my heart heavy with anger and hurt, and made my way to the living room. Nothing had really changed here. The memories came rushing back, those years I spent cleaning, cooking, and doing her laundry because the maid was either sick, on her off days, or simply unavailable. A lot of it fell to me, and I endured it all.I marched into the house and was greeted by the maid. She looked up from her task, freezing the moment her eyes met mine. I e
Emily I arrived at the hospital and hurried inside the building, my heart pounding frantically since I’d heard the news. She couldn’t be pregnant for him, there was no possible way. I had suspected he was sleeping with her from the start, but everything seemed to shift when I was called to help him on the day he had the substance in his system. Alex had confirmed that he was given something that caused his intoxication, accompanied by heavy sleep. I knocked on his office door and waited a few seconds for a response, but there was none. Was he outside? Attending to a patient? Either way, I decided I could wait inside. I pushed the door open, but the room was empty. I walked further in and sat down to wait for him. That’s when I heard muffled sounds. Turning my attention to the source, I looked behind the bed. To my surprise, I saw a little child lying there. "Hey, are you sick?" I asked softly, walking up to her. She nodded in response, her small face pale and fragile. "I have
Zara How the hell did this happen? I can’t believe our plans failed, and we lost her. If there’s anyone I should blame, it’s Adams. I don't understand why the hell he had to ask for money. All he needed to do was follow a simple instruction, ask her to come over. But he messed it up completely. I heard a car, and looked out the window to see who’s parking outside. Tiptoeing toward the sliding window, I peered through. It was Adams, parking in the lot. I needed an explanation for why he did what he did. I marched back toward the bed, pacing while I waited for him to come upstairs. Getting him involved in this had been a terrible idea. The money he asked for was something he already had sitting in his bank account. What more did he require it for? He’d stolen enough from Empire Company. So why pull this stunt? The door to the room creaked open, and I knew it was him. I stood still, listening as the door clicked shut. As soon as it did, I turned to face him. He wore a troubled expres
It wasn’t long before I made up my mind to step out of the car. The phone was never going to ring at this point, and I’m not sure if we are in the right address. Jasper had claimed he knew the place and had brought us here, but at this point, I don’t think it has to be this place. We have to leave, go back, and wait for them to call. I pushed the door open, looking around the place to find anything suspicious. Someone could be somewhere watching us without us being aware. If I find anyone here, he’s a suspect, he has something to do with this. The car that just passed is no exception; I have to look into it. Maybe there could be a connection. I continued to look around, but I couldn’t even find where my guard had entered. Too many incomplete buildings, not sure where to follow. "Boss." Jasper called, and as I turned to look behind, in the blink of an eye, something flew past my eyes, landing on the car. "It's a knife." He announced, just in time as I looked at the knife that pierce
Ryan"You were on the phone with Emily, weren't you?" Mother asked just as I returned to the living room. I had been with her for the past two hours, waiting for her to receive a call from Amber's abductors.I'm not sure if they are, but that's the only thing I can think of. She did show me the countless threat messages, but I can't even comprehend them—they don't make sense to me.Amber has been missing for five days now. I have been keeping things on the down low to make sure I get to the bottom of this.Mother isn't even helping. As much as she has been crying about it, her so-called fiancé—I don't even know what he's doing to help."She's not. That was my secretary." I won't let her know I'm back with Emily; I don't want her opinion. The way she mistreated her without my knowledge is enough. I don't want further complications—not even Zara is allowed to go near her."She's your secretary, but you had to leave the room to make a call?" She questioned, skeptical of my response. "Oka
Mother wasn’t picking up my calls. They were supposed to be home by now, since we left the hospital. Could she be in the washroom? I’ll just call her later. I reached for my laptop, but the door suddenly flung open, startling me. My secretary barged in, panting heavily. My brows furrowed—something was clearly wrong, so I stood up, waiting for her to speak.“I’m… I’m so… sorry for barging in.” she stuttered, struggling to catch her breath.I gestured for her to calm down and speak.“I had to run when I saw him leave… the atmosphere…” she trailed off.I knew she was referring to my father, but why would she think something was wrong? There was no way he would harm me with so many people around.“I’m fine. You shouldn’t panic just because you saw him leaving.” I said, taking my seat.It was amusing how she had rushed in, thinking something had happened to me. Goodness, it was quite funny.“Is that you smiling?” She asked, her tone a mix of curiosity and concern.I looked up at her, unabl