He nodded, taking his seat, legs crossed. I had no favors left for him, certainly none for his father's sake. If he wanted to rant, he could, but then he’d need to leave my office."Why are you here?" I asked, watching him closely. There was something off about the way he was staring into my eyes, as if there was more he wasn’t saying.I sat back, waiting for his response. Instead of answering, he stood up, casually walked toward my desk, and sat down on it, settling himself comfortably."Mr. Adams, I will not tolerate this here. You can't move around as you please. This is an office, not your playground." My voice was raised, teetering on a near scream.He ignored the reprimand. "I received your termination letter from my father. But what gives you the right to speak to him the way you did?"So he wanted to change the topic. Fine. I could play along. I leaned forward, meeting his challenging gaze."Your father must have fed you the same lies he tells everyone. Just like you, I suppose
I got to the parking lot but couldn't find Biggy. Looking around, I turned back to the security guard standing at the entrance."Where is he?" I asked, clearly annoyed. I never wanted him, and now that I'm rushing, he's nowhere to be found. What happened to having lunch on time? It's pass 3 pm already."He went inside to have lunch. I will get him for you." He responded, about to leave when I stopped him."That won't be necessary. Did he leave the keys with you? I will drive myself.""Ms. Emily, you can take my car." My secretary offered, handing me her keys.Without wasting time, I took the keys and headed to her car. As I got closer, I unlocked it, settled inside, and drove off.I drove as fast as I could. In ten minutes, I was parking in front of Whiff Wonders.Ready to step out of the car, my phone got my attention. I hurriedly pulled the phone out of my bag, and saw Ethan on the screen."Hey, brother Ethan, are you good?" I asked, stepping out of the car. I closed it behind me an
I arrived home from work, stepping out of the car. I strode to the entrance of the house, making my way to the living room. As I walked into the living room, I found no one, so I proceeded to my bedroom.I pushed the door open, getting close to the bed, I dropped my bag and plopped onto it, my arms spread wide, accompanied by a loud sigh.Today's events played back in my head, from Adams in my office, Ryan's body still not being found, to finding out the lady had been moved out of the hospital. It's too much to handle, and I still can't believe it.I don't know how, but I will definitely get to the bottom of this. And as for Adams, he should be ready for me. What he did today won't be forgiven.After resting for a few minutes, I jerked out of bed and proceeded to change into my towel before heading to the washroom.I paused, catching the aroma from the kitchen. I'm pretty sure the chef is making dinner; I can't get enough of the smell. It's already making me salivate.Turning on the s
I didn’t know whether I had crossed the line or overreacted to what happened yesterday. Father didn’t have dinner with us. After leaving for his room, he didn’t show up again, not even this morning. The maid told me he had left at dawn.I wasn’t convinced, but somehow I thought I had upset him. He has never acted this way towards me or even towards Lisa, who is his biological daughter. I asked if something like this had happened before, but her response was no.I tried calling his phone before leaving the house for a conference I was invited to, but his number wasn’t connecting. I couldn’t help but feel guilty of what happened. I should have listened. I should have gone with Biggy. I bet all of this wouldn’t be happening if I had.“Ms. Emily, are you okay?” I heard, diverting my attention. Turning to the lady seated next to me, I saw concern evident on her scrunched face. “Are you paying attention? I called, but you didn’t respond.” she added. I had met her earlier when I arrived. It
Ryan"You are going to keep nagging, aren’t you? Please leave, Mother. You are just so mean, even to your son." I said as the nurse removed the drip from my hand."I’m scolding you because you never listen to me. What if I had lost you? Have you forgotten you are my only son?""Which is accurately why you shouldn’t scold me. I’m in pain, and I need to rest. Go home."I couldn’t believe she came to see me just to scold me. What kind of mother does that? Instead of being glad that I’m okay, she’s here to reprimand me.I haven’t eaten since I passed out, and she didn’t even bring any food with her. She came all the way from home just to scold me for not answering her calls and surviving the car that hit me.While I was running back to save Jasper, I got hit by a car. Thankfully, it wasn’t severe, I didn’t sustain any major injuries. I passed out immediately, and when I woke up, I found myself in the hospital.Alex even scolded me for going back to save Jasper. I don’t see anything wrong
I ate some food Alex brought, but couldn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted. The thought of Anderson being with her made my stomach twist. I can’t let him have her. If she doesn’t want me anymore, fine, she can be with someone else, but not him.I tilted my head toward my assistant, who had been standing in the room since he walked in."Get the wheelchair and push me to Alex’s office." I said, but he didn’t move."You can’t be moving around; you heard what the nurse said."One look from me was enough warning. He quickly nodded and hurried to get the chair. When he returned, I stood up from the couch and sat down.It’s not that I can’t walk, I just don’t want to overexert myself while still in the hospital. If my vitals are weak, Alex won’t discharge me, and I need to leave this place.We left the room and were on our way to Alex’s office when Grace crossed my mind. I haven’t checked up on her, and I’m not sure how she’s doing."Take me to Grace’s room; I want to see her condition." I orde
"Where do you think you’re going?" Alex asked, standing up and reaching out to stop me."I need to get there before nightfall." I replied, keeping my tone firm. "Don’t try to stop me—I’ll be back to finish my treatment." Turning to Jasper, I added, "Get the car ready. We’re leaving."Alex sighed, resting his hands on his desk and lowering his head. "Can you switch doctors?" He said quietly. "I can’t work with patients who don’t listen, I’m not that patient."I had to hold back a laugh as I looked away. "Fine. Once my recovery is done, I’ll transfer back to my father’s doctor." I replied, heading toward the door."Jerk." He muttered under his breath, though I heard him. Why keep me in the hospital when I feel fine? He said I passed out from the impact, and that I would be okay.I made my way to the parking lot, my men following closely. When we reached the car, they held the door open, and I settled into the seat, leaning back as the car started moving.Seeing Emily brought a wave of r
Emily It was Saturday morning, and I needed to go out to pick up a few things. After getting up, I took a quick shower and joined everyone for breakfast. Father didn’t join us again, Mother said he had stayed up late last night. I wondered if he was avoiding me, but if that were the case, I’m sure that Mother would have said something. I'm her only daughter, after all; she wouldn't keep secrets from me. After breakfast, I grabbed my keys and headed toward the door. As I descended the stairs, Lisa was coming up and stopped when she saw me. "Father wants to see you in his study." She informed me, turning around without waiting for a response. "Is he already awake?" I called after her, but she didn’t stop. Her eyes looked heavy, probably from sleep. Mother had woken her up just in time for breakfast. I continued downstairs and made my way to Father’s study. "Good morning, Father." I greeted, leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Good morning. How was your night? It’s the weekend; where are
It had been two days since I announced the launch of the new refinery, and today it was happening live. I had invited a few people to grace the occasion, and I was pleased they all showed up to celebrate with me. Most of the invited guests had already left, leaving me with just a handful who stayed behind to keep me company while I addressed some issues. One of them was Mr. Fernandez.I had sent him an invitation, hoping he would come, and to my greatest surprise, he did. I spotted him earlier when most of the guests had gathered. At the time, I was busy inspecting some equipment and walking around the machines when he and his group arrived."Mr. Ryan." one of them called, catching my attention. I stepped back to meet them, extending my hand for a handshake."I'm honored you showed up. Thank you for sparing some time from your busy schedule." I said."You are welcome! Keep up the good work. We will be on our way now." Mr. Fernandez replied.I nodded, gesturing toward the exit. "Let me
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. He
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