"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,
Father had a good conversation with Anderson, and he took the time to apologize for his behavior last night. I don’t blame Father; I would probably react the same way if it were my child. After clearing things up, Father walked Anderson out to his car so he could head back to work. It was funny, in a way, though I understood how they must have felt when I was missing. As we waited for Father’s return, the office door suddenly swung open, and Ethan strode into the room, with Father following closely behind. Mother stood up, moving next to Ethan. "Hey, how did it go?" She asked. Since he left the room, his just returning. "We found them." Ethan said, "I hacked into their security system and tracked them down using the car they drove." "Who are they?" Father asked, and silence fell over the room. Ethan hesitated, clearly reluctant to reveal their identities. "I think they are working for Adams. They have connections with him, and he’s likely the one who put them up to it." Ethan fina
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