As soon as she walked away from her desk, I quickly got to work. I made my way to Anderson's office and reached for his laptop. Everything happening in the CCTV room was accessible from his office. I set up the necessary connections and sent them to Ethan, so he could start working from his end.I kept my ears open, listening for her footsteps, while waiting for Ethan to complete his part before I proceeded.Just as I was about to grab my phone from my bag, I heard her footsteps returning. I quickly hurried back to the couch, crossed my legs, and pretended I have been waiting patiently for her."I'm sorry for keeping you waiting; I had to get some ice." She apologized. Not that I minded, I would have preferred she stayed out even longer, so I could finish."It's okay, thank you." I replied, taking the cup from her. I took a sip, then set it on the table. "I will wait for another five minutes. If he doesn’t show up, I’m leaving.""Alright, I will give him a call. I’ll be right back."
"I had such a great time with you. It’s truly a pleasure meeting you, and I can see why your father chose you for this role." The elderly gentleman complimented, his voice warm."Thank you so much, sir. I appreciate it." I extended my hand for a handshake, which he accepted without hesitation. "I will have the contract sent over as soon as I return to the office.""You are most welcome. Let me walk you to your car." He offered, surprising me. Usually, I would be the one to see someone off."Alright, this way." I said, gesturing toward the door. We walked together through the restaurant. Out of habit, I glanced over to where I had last seen Adams, but the table was empty—he was gone.Outside, I accompanied my guest to his car and held the door open as he settled in."Have a safe flight. One day, I will come visit you in India." I said with a warm smile."Oh, that would be wonderful! Just let me know when you are coming, so I can prepare properly." He replied, his tone distinctly cheerf
Father had been discharged from the hospital earlier when we arrived. The doctor assured us it was nothing serious and that he would recover well at home. I decided to stay back with him, but Ethan had to leave for an errand he didn't mention. Initially, I planned to wait for a client at the hospital, but my secretary called to let me know he wouldn’t be able to make it. Father changed into his clothes, and we supported him as we walked out of the room. Thankfully, the media hadn’t caught wind of the situation, so there was no scandal to publish about Mother’s incident causing his collapse. As we reached the stairs, Father suddenly stopped. "Is something wrong?” Mother asked, making us pause as well. “I can manage on my own." He said, straightening. "I would rather not draw attention. People might assume I’m unwell.” He was right, if we looked too attentive, people would certainly suspect something was wrong. But if we walked out as a group, they might just assume we were visiting
"What do you think about going to India for Christmas?" I asked my father, setting a glass of water on his stool."India?" My mother echoed, pausing what she was doing to look at me. I shrugged, smiling at her."I know where this idea came from. You must have met that elderly man." My father said.I laughed, knowing he was right. I had met the old man, and it was a great experience."You are right." I replied with a shrug, starting to leave the room."Where are you going?" my mother called after me, and I paused. "You look beautiful." She added."I have a dinner date with Anderson. He’s coming to pick me up, and I wouldn’t want to keep him waiting." I replied.They looked at each other, definitely communicating with their brows before glancing in my direction."This has nothing to do with what I’m thinking, right?" Mother asked, raising her eyebrows."No, it has nothing to do with that. Don’t twist the whole story, I know that's something you would do." I said, heading out of the room
Ryan It was late at night, and Mother still hadn’t come home. I had asked her to make sure she was back early. Just because she went on a date with some man she met online doesn’t mean she should stay out late. What if something happens to her? Or what if he turns out to be a kidnapper? This is accurately why Amber goes out, parties to her heart’s content, gets wasted, and stays out late. It’s been over two hours since I got back, and I have been waiting for her in the living room, but there’s still no sign of her. Mother should do better, she needs to. If not for herself, then for my sister’s sake. A tap on my hand snapped me back to reality. Looking to my side, I saw Amber standing next to me. "You should have dinner. After you eat, you can keep waiting for her until she returns." "She’s not picking up my calls. How do you expect me to eat? What if something’s happened to her?" I asked, getting up from the couch. "You just worry too much, brother Ryan. Her phone’s probably in
"Stop getting involved with her. Just let her move on with her life. Who cares who she dates? You are not a couple." Alex scolded me as he treated the wound on my head. He's been doing it over the phone, and now that he's here, he's still not letting up. It was my fault for calling him to come and treat me. I should be grateful Jasper was there in time, along with the guys who showed up within minutes. He's been doing his job since I assigned him to watch her from a distance. "I'm talking to you. I hope you are listening. Move on with your life, there are other women out there you could date." He said, his tone louder than before. "Are you forgetting how I treated her over the past four years? The only time I reached out to her was when I needed her for blood." I responded, maybe he's forgotten how he kept taking blood from her to transfuse to Zara. He fixed the bandage on my head, then took a seat on the couch next to me. "How is that supposed to be your fault? I have known you t
"Don't you touch me, Ryan." She said, halting my hand before I could reach her face. She looked away briefly, then back at me, her expression darker. I grew even more perplexed, I hadn’t done anything to offend her. I was just fortunate to be there to save her from whatever they had planned. Where did she expect me to take her? I had also passed out, and when I woke up, we were already near the mansion. Calling Alex over was for her, not because of the injury on my head. "Do you have a problem with me, Emily? All I did was save you. I couldn’t even catch the idiot who did that to you." "Fine, you saved me, but didn’t you think you should have just taken me home? You brought me here and made my parents panic?" She said, though it sounded more like she was questioning me for doing something good. It dawned on me, she was right; I hadn’t thought about her family. Everything that happened yesterday was out of my control, from the argument with my mom to finding her at the restaurant, b
EmilyWhen I got home, the house was empty except for Lisa who I met, and she couldn’t stop crying; she thought I had been kidnapped. Honestly, I almost was, if Ryan hadn’t shown up. I was in the restroom washing my hands at the sink when I suddenly heard a scream. Before I could turn, I felt something sharp pierce my neck. That’s when I blacked out.Since I woke up at Ryan’s house, he must have been the one who found me. But what was he doing there? Did someone tell him I was with Anderson? I hadn’t even mentioned going out to Biggy. He had called earlier asking if he should come over, but I had turned him down. So how did he know where I was there with Anderson?Lisa explained how father nearly lost it on Anderson for returning home without me; my mother had to step in to stop him. She’s the only reason Anderson avoided a beating. I understand why father was upset, he had specifically warned Anderson not to go anywhere without my guard. My mother, however, assured him it was fine,
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