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
"I don't blame her; she takes after you. So I'm not surprised she's showing this kind of attitude." I said. The smile Samantha had when she showed up vanished. It was clear she was holding back from unleashing that side of her. We were in public, and everyone knew her as Ryan's mother. If she did anything foolish, she would be all over the news. "You see, she's talking down on you. She was your maid, Mother, you shouldn't be nice to her." Amber said, clearly wanting to hit me, but Samantha held her back. "Get a grip on yourself, Amber. We have wronged her in the past." Samantha said through gritted teeth, before turning to me. "I know you are still mad at me for what we have done to you in the past, but please spare me some time." I was taken aback; she had never spoken to me this softly. It was always one insult after another. I had never been on her good side, even when I did things correctly, she found fault. And when I got it wrong, she would curse me until she ran out of thing
RyanIt was the weekend, and I had planned to rest at home until my assistant told me the Mayor had invited me for dinner at his place. I had wanted to relax at home and get enough rest before Monday, but hearing the Fernandez family would be there, I decided to go, hoping I would see Emily at the dinner.It’s been over an hour since I arrived, and the house was a bit crowded with a few families invited, but I still hadn’t spotted Emily. I met her father, and we exchanged pleasantries as usual and talked briefly about business before parting ways. His wife, however, didn’t seem pleased. I understand she dislikes me because of what happened to her daughter, which is why I need to win her back.“Ladies and gentlemen, please come over to the dining room.” I heard, and I made my way toward the dining area, a few guests trailing behind me.I took my seat, conversing with a lady and her husband next to me, when I heard someone call my name.“Hello, Mr. Ryan. We meet again.” Looking in the
Attending this dinner had truly been an honor. Coming here turned out to be a good decision; the encouragement to win Emily back was overwhelming, and I’m determined to do just that. Her mother may be against it, given the furtive looks she cast around the room, but if I need to win her over too, I will. Taking a sip of water, I stood up and excused myself, making my way out to the parking lot. The guests at this dinner were the Mayor’s close allies, those who had supported him during his campaign. Having influential people like Fernandez in his corner likely helped him secure the election. Reaching the parking lot, I saw Jasper leaning against the car. "Boss, are we leaving?" He asked, straightening up. "Not yet. What about Emily? I asked you to set up a meeting with her." I reminded him. He looked down, as though reluctant to deliver bad news. "I haven’t told you yet, but believe me, I’ve tried everything I could. She’s being stubborn, and I’m not sure what else to do." I was si
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