Marcus I woke up to the sound of someone in the shower and a splitting headache that threatened to split my brain into two.The ordeal of last night was in a blur. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was Jeff's face.Funny how whenever I was in need of someone to talk to he was always the first on my emergency list.I slowly pulled the sheets off my naked body and then my eyes darted to the bathroom.I was stark naked.There was no way I undressed myself last night in my drunken state.I held my head in my hand, trying to recall if I had a one night stand with a random stranger.Before the person in the shower was done, I got dressed in last night's clothes piled on the floor.“You're awake.” Monalisse made way to where I was seated on the edge of the bed and placed a kiss on my lips.I did not know if I should feel relieved that she was the one I spent the night with or disappointed in myself.“Did we…”“Make love?” Monalisse was finding the whole thing funny.Even her
Anna“When do I assume the position of CEO?” The blind date was a success.There was no reason why I shouldn't take over Bel Air Companies. I had paid my dues and did what father wanted.“Not now Anna. I'm busy.” Father dismissed me without even giving me room to vent.I was livid, impatient and unable to think straight.The aim was to take over Bel Air Company and wreck carnage on Marcus and everything he owned.I had given up my shares in Everything Sow.I no longer cared about him or what we built in the name of love.That ship had long sailed the moment he ripped me of the chance of becoming a mother.“When father?! I knew it, you want to hand over the company to Brayson.” “Enough Anna. Both you and Brayson have the right to compete for this position. Don't be a crybaby and prove to me you are worthy.” My father was setting me up against my step brother.Brayson and I weren't best of friends. The reason why I had worked my ass off back in business school was so that I could outw
Marcus I needed time to think.Monalisse had given me an ultimatum, and like a wolf in sheep's clothing, she wanted to gobble me alive.“Let's get married, Marcus.” Her words resonated within me.I had managed to evade her request and hold her off. But I didn't know how long it would last.Everything Sow was like a graveyard. After the ruckus, most of my workers had handed in their resignation letter.As I stared at the almost empty work space, I was reminded of the good old days when everywhere was bubbly and full of life.Everything Sow was a fast rising staple food company and had its franchise spread across the city.For someone like me who knew how it felt to be broke and hungry, I was centered on making food cost friendly.It was Anna's idea actually. She was the brain behind the birth of my company and I owed its progress to her.Things started to fall apart when someone named Alister Cane paid me a visit.He had come in the guise of a large scale food company and offered me a
Anna Italy was a spontaneous place filled with exuberant colors, textures and a mixture of cultures. I read somewhere that it was the home of Socrates and Aristotles. Even in all its grandiose and beauty, I didn't look forward to spending another second here with Jeffrey Roswell who was in my space, in my corner and everywhere my eyes touched. My reason for coming here was the annual meet and greet of the top business holders in the world. I understood why my father wanted me to be in attendance. It was so obvious that he wanted to show me off to his scrawny old friends and I recognized one of them on sight “Look who we have here. Anastasia.” Robert Downey was a friend as well as a big foe of my father's. You know that saying, “children inherit the sins of their father.” I would beg to differ from that school of thought because I was a big fan of Uncle Roberts. “Uncle Robert’s! You haven't aged a bit, you big old baby.” I wrapped my hands around him, forgetting that
Monalisse I always got whatever I wanted, be it an inanimate object or a full fledged human being.Maybe it was one of the perks of being born into wealth, or maybe it was my mojo.Whatever it was, I wanted Marcus Sow and he was proving stubborn.My first meeting with Marcus wasn't pleasant. He was a broke boy trying to make ends meet.I had to end things with him because I wasn't born to end up with a sore loser which he was at the time.I had dated men, below and above my age grade and even with their wealth and influence none of them gave me the love and attention like Marcus did.Finally, some lucky charm had sent Marcus my way on a platter.It was two years ago, at an event hosted in the city. I had returned after my second failed marriage and decided to mingle and have some fun.I was actually having fun when I saw him standing with a bright halo over his head.Marcus had not changed one bit, he still looked the same. The only difference was his status and the expensive watch o
Marcus “Marcus, are you sure you want to go through with this?” Jeff asked, his concerns very much valid.I wasn't sure of what I was doing. If you asked me, I would say I was blindsided into believing that this was the only way out.“I don't know man, I just want you to be here for me.” Jeff owed me his full attendance because he didn't show up when I was tying the knot with Anna.With a heavy sigh, he agreed to come.The wedding was this weekend. It was meant to be a small gathering of family and friends but Monalisse had blown it out of proportion.For someone like her who had a history of being married several times, I expected her to know better.Everything Sow was currently shut down due to my unpaid debts and constant threats from those I owed to burn my establishment to the ground.Monalisse had assured me that after the wedding she would help pay off my debts. I was the worst, using her for what she had to get what I needed.As the days grew closer, I was starting to have
AnnaI made a grand entrance at Marcus's wedding, causing a scene for the press to feast on.When I received the wedding invitation, I thought to myself, ‘if they want a show, I will give them one’After turning my life upside down and killing my child, they both had the audacity to send me an invitation card.The dress code was white, but I wore a red bare back dress that had a slit running up to my thigh.I accentuated it with tiger skin red heels and my makeup was daring, audacious and to the point.“I object!” Monalisse turned pale when she saw me headed her way and the expression I got from Marcus was that of relief.It was almost as though he was thanking me for wrecking the wedding.I was escorted out of the hall, in order to salvage what was left of their questionable nuptial vows.I expected to be overwhelmed with a savory taste of victory on my tongue after the stunt I pulled.Instead, I felt worse. There was this dark hole in my heart, reminding me that the world was a ba
JeffreyAnna reminded me of someone from my past.I had learned the hard way to guard my heart jealously and as the years went by I grew a tough skin to women in general.Because you never could tell who was there for the money or for the popularity that came with being Jeffrey Roswell's girlfriend.The more I stared at her sleeping figure, the more I reminded myself over and over again not to let history repeat itself.There was once a time when my heart was completely smitten by one person. She had me in the palm of her hands and I did not mind being a puppet on her strings.Her name was Rosemary Dallas. She was the daughter of my father's door man at the company.Rosemary was sweet, kind and to a great extent she understood me and gave me all the love and attention that I yearned for.Due to my upbringing, growing up in a home where my parents were both workaholics, I never experienced what it felt like to be given optimal care and undivided affection.So when Rosemary was doing ev
MarcusEver lived in poverty before?The depressing state of feeling miserable and being unable to sort out your basic needs.That was my life before. Eating from leftover dumps, begging for bread while sometimes getting beaten for stealing.My life as Marcus Sow was like a Roller coaster with no wheels.Looking at my accomplishments now, I never wanted to go back to crawling on my stomach.That was why I had chosen to go against my father in law. Being his puppet while trying to please his daughter felt like I was being taken back to my old life.By accepting that I could no longer get Anna back, I couldn't bring myself to accept my new life with Monalisse Mayfair.However, as her husband it was my obligation to protect her. “You've not said a word all through the drive back home. What is on your mind?”After the dinner with her parents, she had been mute, which was so unlike her…For some reason, I suspected that it had something to do with her Uncle. Robert's Downey.That old man w
Anna's POVEvery candle on my birthday cake was burned. I had run out of wishes to make.That was the stage of my life I was currently in.At the age of twenty, my wish was to help Marcus become the man of his dreams.Then came twenty five and my desperation for having a child took over and that became my undying wish.As I clocked twenty eight, I wanted nothing to do with wishing upon non-existent stars.My mom pressured. “Make a wish Anna, before your candles go off.” I blew the candles off, to satiate my mother.“I'll be in my room. Since I have an unnecessary day off.” I excused myself, leaving my mom to enjoy the rest of the celebrations.Earlier today, I got a message from Marcus. He wrote: “Happy birthday Anastasia. Hope you get to see the Eiffel tower.”The Eiffel tower was our secret code for Paris.Being obsessed with that part of the world was an understatement. I wanted to enjoy the exuberant color and beauty of the place.However, being married to Marcus, living a lie th
MonalisseThe world of the married was like a thread mill with no end. I was a fanatic for the spin and could never get enough of the thrill.After RIO, love had become transactional. The feeling of being completely and utterly vulnerable to someone had become a chore I hated.So I settled for the glitz and glam. I made peace with the length and depth of a man's pocket and the satisfactory sound of his ATM card.With my first marriage, the first point of attraction was the Villa he owned on an island that had a stunning view.Our marriage lasted for at least a few months. The divorce came with several benefits including the Villa.The second marriage was a random humping game. Hilton Stud. That name was quite popular because of the several restaurants they owned.By restaurants, I meant six star, seven star investments with ground breaking openings in the business world.For the sake of extending the lease, I made it two years with Stud.At the end of our divorce, I was mightily compe
JeffMy father had been my role model and for half of my life I had looked up to him for insights, motivation and words of wisdom.Our relationship ran deeper in ways that made me free with him. To me there was nothing related to me that he had no idea of and that included my relationship with Rosemary.The night air whispered what was to come, my legs pushing me towards his direction tamed the haywire emotions I was experiencing all at once.“Jefferey, you came at the right time. Your brother is trying to dare me to another round. He knows I'll still best him though.”My lack of response to their light banter created tension and soured the mood altogether.I wasn't going to beat around the bush. I was going full on confrontational. Hunter had made a point blank accusation and I wanted to know if it was the truth.“Did you sell Rosemary off to Hunter? I want to know how much you paid her for her to agree to leave me.” The silence was grave, his lack of words weakening me in the knees.
MonalisseLet me tell you a little story, of my actual first love. His name was RIO, the son of my father's barber.Funny right? The high and mighty Monalisse Mayfair fell in love with someone who was beneath her.Those were the good old days when I had just reached the peak of adolescence. My body felt different, my breasts had grown tender and naturally my skin became flaky.My father Adonis Mayfair kept a secret, a secret surrounding my birth which I was well aware of.Born with a silver spoon, I never knew who my mother was or what she looked like.To me it was normal to be groomed by maids and nannies. It was at a parent's meet and greet after getting taunted by my peers that I started to throw tantrums requesting for my Mom.I had all the toys, the luxury, but this one thing I so desperately yearned for was never granted to me…It was on a nice cool evening, when the air was crisp and clean, the weather was great for a late night snack and sleep was far from me that I met him.I
Jeffrey After years of concocting make believes and being in self denial that I had moved on from my hurt, one look at her and I was drawn back to the very beginning.She had not changed one bit, like a fresh grave vine, she was still the fairest of them all.However, there was an extra addition to her life. A bubbly little version of her, cuddled in her arms.My father had sent me here for this very purpose. He wanted to check if her presence still affected me.Rosemary wore a smile, the type that brought out the color in her eyes. I inhaled and exhaled sharply, unable to hold on for much longer.“Jeff… you came.”Of course I did. I had no choice.My eyes lingered on the child in her arms when she spoke up in a tone of clarity.“This is Nick, my nephew. He came to keep me company.” She nozzled her nose on his cheeks.“Rose, I told you not to wander around.” Hunter came around, possessively claiming her lips.I was the one on the receiving end, being here under so much scrutiny and w
AnnaThe scent of Honeywell lavender embraced me like a second skin as I stormed into the Bel Air ballroom.This was one of the downsides of being a Bel Air and a shriveling experience that spiked my nerves.My mother caught up to me in the hallway, pulling me to the side. She was dressed to kill the part of the lady of the house.Since my return back to the Bel Air family, I had not seen her this happy and the light was back in her eyes.“I have been looking everywhere for you. Your father has an important announcement to make and he needs you now!” Thanks to Butler Lee I had gotten snippets on what I was up against and with my reputation at stake acting out of character could backfire.Adonis Bel Air on seeing me, lightened up and came to give me a daughterly hug for the camera.I whispered into his ears my confusion as to why we had so many guests when it wasn't his Birthday.“I had no idea you were hosting a ball. I should have dressed to look the part.”My father smiled at me sw
MarcusAcquiring Mayfair Brewery was a last minute emergency back up plan.Monalisse had ambushed me in the cruelest way possible. I was now entangled with her father and in so much debt as compared to the ones I had recently offset.After getting Mayfair Brewery with the help of Anna's funding, I decided to play out my cards to Adonis Mayfair who knew what he stood to lose if he did not dance to my tune.Now I was the one holding him hostage. Quite frankly, he still had me in the balls, but I had him at a vital jugular point.I was expecting Jeff at the office today. He was my realest man and my closet pal. I wanted his take on my involvement with my ex wife.I still loved Anna. Everything I did, I thought I was doing it for her own good.Hell was I wrong. Making amends was not an option, she was done with me.Notwithstanding, I still wanted her by my side even if it was as a business partner.“Man is your wife crazy. She broke my balls.” Jeff walked into my office with a limp and an
AnnaMy father kept to his word and handed over the position of CEO to me.I had assumed work in full today, getting familiar with the do's and don'ts of the establishment.I had bested Brayson and enjoyed watching the look of defeat on his face following the announcement.“I'll be back to claim what is rightfully mine. For now, enjoy your reign and keep my seat warm.” Brayon was in a state of denial.Even after the entire swearing in process, he still convinced himself that he still had a shot at the position that was already occupied until further notice.“Get a life Brayson. Maybe if you had reduced the number of whores you brought into the pool, father would have considered you.” I taunted him, fighting the urge not to laugh in his face.“At least I wasn't dumped by my husband of five years.” His comeback response etched me to the brink of giving him a good beating.“Have a nice day sister.” He smirked at me, having a swell time while laughing in my face.My father had finally ent