6pm, Atlantis hotel.The entrance was manned by three security personnel and two council members on either side. People walked in pairs and groups handing in the RSVP confirmation emails/ messages.Amber Witherby, a 29-year-old former beauty queen and popular socialite walked in draped in a silver low neck figure hugging evening gown, exposing her cleavage proudly. The security stopped her for screening with a detached attitude.“Why is the security so tight? Isn’t it just another charity event?” Amber asked with a puzzled look. She was a regular at these events and had never been stopped before.“The special events for tonight are by Glam girls and Monroe boys. There’s also a few VIP’s who are attending tonight. We just can’t have any gatecrashers” One of the council members explained politely.“Oh...” Amber paused before asking in a gossipy tone “Any names I know?”“Who do you not know, Ms. Witherby?” Council member Lesley flattered with a smile.“True …true” Amber responded complac
“Good evening ladies and gentlemen” The hostess sound drew everyone’s attention.“It is such a pleasant evening made more beautiful with your presence” Carrie held the mike with a smile.“Let me take you through the evening, we will have the auction soon after Chelsey formally welcomes you all to this evening, followed by an evening of magic cast by the perfect blend of music, dance and companionship, followed by the musical event co-hosted by Glam girls and Monroe boys and will end with diner back here. Without boring you further with logistics, let me invite Chelsey to the stage.”Carrie stretched her arms towards Chelsey. Chelsey walked towards the stage in a dignified manner, her royal blue sleeveless gown added further dimension to her valiant expression.Carrie extended the mike after the welcome hug.“Friends” Chelsey called through the mike “I welcome you all not just to this night
She stood up gracefully and walked to the stage.Frank maintained his composure after the initial surprise. Contradiction was Ed whose composure was always steady; his eyes were still wide open with his lower jaw almost touching the ground.Ben had a proud smile on his face. Although unexpected, he knew his woman was extraordinary!Amber looked at Dana with a venomous gaze ‘What the hell? Not only did she take her seat at Ben’s side, but she also stole her award! What if Ben starts noticing her? No… that can’t happen. She’s not worthy’ Amber’s mind churned with jealousy.“Should find her PR person… they have done a fantastic job with her coverage” Amber had a complacent smile.“PR?? I don’t think so, half the people here didn’t know who she is” Peter disagreed. He was a young lawyer seated at Amber’s table. Everyone here was well connected, so the person walking up to the stage had to be low key if she was unknown to most.“What? Charmed by a pretty face? Amber asked smugly.Peter gl
Ben’s face had a well composed smile, but his heart was ecstatic. He had to thank Arthur properly.“I wasn’t joking before… I really can’t do ballroom dancing” Dana whispered, “Don’t blame me when you lose face.”“For you, I don’t mind losing my life forget about face” Ben whispered back into her ears.Dana looked at his fiery gaze with a complicated expression, but even before she could reject, he opened his mouth again “But I will never make you lose face when I am around.”“So confident?” Dana retorted forgetting her previous intention of dissuading him.“Can you remove your shoes? Do you mind being bare footed” Ben did not answer directly instead asked her another question.“No problem” Dana walked with Ben to the corner and removed her shoes. She did not question his intent nor ask for clarification. She trusted him and didn’t even realize this.Amber watched these interactions from the side and felt jealousy burning deep into her bones. Unknown to her, she had company with simil
“What did he say?” Ed and Frank asked in unison.“Small fish” Ben’s eyes darted towards Dana. Both Dana and Sarah were oblivious to this interaction.Ed’s phone interrupted the discussion.“Hello”“Um… both places?”“Um”“Pink lady is fine. We will head out there.”“No. Just the lady.”“Lose it first!”Ed hung up while the others were anxiously staring at him. They could only hear Ed’s end of the conversation.Ed informed the rest that it was Archer on the other end. There were tails following the team both at the place where Ms. Parker was resting and where the scoundrels were being detained. Archer called as he thought that it was better to keep Dana’s association with them low-key. Especially now that he knew that Ben was interested in Dana. He had also informed Ed, that they put an army drill as a façade for this exercise.“My men will bring Ms. Parker to the Pink Lady, and you can meet her there.”Dana frowned.“Do you want to see the scoundrels? If so, let’s just go. I will take
“You… you… who….” Eleanor looked in disbelief and then turned to look at Dana.“Ignore him. He’s just bored.” Dana stood up and pulled Eleanor as she glared at Ben and walked towards the door. ‘What was wrong with this man?’.Sarah pursed her lips upwards ‘Why did she feel the two were flirting?’“These…. these… are all people you know?” Eleanor still hadn’t come out from her shock.“Sadly, yes.” Dana twisted her lips.“Oh… then….” Eleanor lowered her head as she thought of her actions.Ben pulled Dana into his embrace. He lowered his head and raised his eyebrows playfully “Where are you running off to? Didn’t you just ask her how she was going to get out of here?”“Oh” Dana had forgotten this detail.“And we still need to get back to the dinner.” Ben knew Dana was hungry.“But Eleanor…” Dana looked at Ben with a difficult expression.“Don’t worry. Archer will take her back to a safe house.” Ben comforted gently.Ed looked at Frank with raised eyebrows ‘Is this our Ben?’Frank rolled
Dana pursed her lips as she looked at Ben ‘This man, did he not understand or is he pretending ignorance?’Ben leaned closer to her ear and whispered with a roguish grin “Is he handsome? Can’t bear to look away?”“You…” Dana leaned back a little before shaking her head dismissively.Frank and Sarah were immersed in their little bubble, sharing their love and concern. Poor Shadow and Ed were tortured by these two couples. Ed swore in his head that he would find a girlfriend soon and show off in front of these two heartless friends who didn’t consider his feelings.Amber looked at Maine and her vicious mind was churning. She had seen his gaze on Dana. Perhaps…. she had a successful formula, tried and tested. She had to think and come up with a plan to rope him in.The rest of the diner finished just like that. Some were openly showing their love, some flirting, some pretending they didn’t exist, some resentful and jealous.Dana and Sarah went to the restroom after diner.“Oh… my tummy i
Ben knew Dana spent her weekends at Peach Blossom apartment. So, he let Shadow drive as Dana sat in a daze, nestled in his embrace. Ben didn’t want her to wake up from the daze, so he kept quiet until they reached the apartment.“We are here.” Ben spoke in a gentle low tone. Dana stared at him in confusion. ‘What was she doing?’Ben let out a low chuckle “Don’t want to let go?”Dana blinked, she realized how ambiguous their posture was and pushed him away. But Ben still held on to her. She looked at him with a pleading gaze “Please let go. I am sorry…I overstepped the boundary…” She wasn’t sure why she sat comfortably in his embrace. She knew she shouldn’t …“I enjoyed it” Ben chuckled but then added in a serious tone “Stay away from Maine. He doesn’t want to be just friends.”Dana was about to retort that it was none of his business when she heard the last part and changed her words “I know. I am not a three year who believes in coincidences.”“What?” Ben caught the hint of the latte
“That is not up to you.” Marken, one of the high counsellors disdained. Adalases was not Ben’s to stake at will; There were other Adalases who could refute this stake.Sherman knew Marken’s ambition was no less than Herten, but he also knew that unlike Herten, Marken would never betray his country and was in a good mood for watching a show although he knew what decision he would ultimately make.“That is a fair point.” Sherman nodded thoughtfully before saying “If the entire Adalase can be staked on this man, then I agree.” Sherman chuckled “With resources greater than the reserve bank, it won’t be hard to rebuild our facilities even if we are compromised.”No one could refute this point.“The Weldons won’t shy away from responsibility either.” Frank didn’t know why the commander had changed his colors, but he stood shoulder to shoulder with his brother.Shadow didn’t have anything to offer, but he stood beside Ben. His expression unwavering.Tyrell slowly got up from his chair and wal
Lara delivered a baby girl as her heart’s desire. She only saw her bundle of joy for a minute before her vision blurred. She also saw the joy in her man’s eyes. These were the two things she remembered before she fainted. She didn’t know if she would wake up again or whether this was eternal sleep, but she was gratified.The Evans and Burton elders had just returned when Amy came out holding the bundle of joy. They didn’t have time to process everything before they were handed the little bundle.“She is so sweet.” Megan smiled as looked over Marjorie shoulders.“My daughter-in-law is indeed pretty.” Dana laughed. She knew the minds of the elders were not calm. She was trying to lighten their moods.No one knew when Ben, Frank and Shadow appeared behind their women.“How can it be so easy to snatch my granddaughter?” Marjorie retorted proudly.“Yes…. yes…yes...” Abigail laughed happily as she let the little one hold her finger tightly. Dana’s retort had pulled the elders mind back to th
Ben and Dana’s days were filled with love and tranquility. Ben felt like he was in a dream; his life was everything he dreamed of; his beloved woman was his wife; she would cook and wait for him; his house was filled with the laughter of the precious treasures his wife had given him. He was truly grateful to the heavens.Ed’s days were getting hectic. Between the challenges of his official duty and a pregnant wife, he was almost ready to retire. He wanted to spend more time with his wife and child. Seeing Ben’s cute little babies, he couldn’t wait to have his own little treasure.Frank and Sarah didn’t know whether to laugh or cry; their little Lu would run almost every day to see his little wife, especially now that she was becoming prettier. The babies were becoming chubbier with fair skin and rosy cheeks. Their features were becoming more prominent and dashing, melting the hearts of everyone around them.Dan and Don were like a mother hen defending their younger siblings from everyo
The next day, the Williamses landed and rushed to the hospital. Dana had rested well and regained most of her vigor.Ben was changing nappies while Dana was sleeping peacefully when they arrived.“She can still sleep?” Dana’s younger sister asked in surprise as Ben gestured for them to lower their volume. He handed one baby each to the stunned Mr and Mrs Williams and led all of them to the adjacent room.“Sorry… Dana has just rested.” Ben apologized sincerely for his rudeness.Mrs Williams shook head, her eyes were misty. She was truly grateful to the heavens for her daughter’s fortune to have met such a man. Even though he was rich and powerful, he loved and doted on her without bounds…. This was truly her fortune. It would be a lie to say that they were not worried. On the way back after the wedding they had met a lady who was crying pitifully. Mrs Williams didn’t feel comfortable and lend her a shoulder to lean on; She didn’t know who they were and told them that she was fleeing fro
Ben sat next to Dana urging her to wake up. He was scared out of his wits as he had seen the amount of blood that she lost during the delivery… he feared that she wouldn’t wake up and all his happiness would disappear in the blink of an eye even though Steve repeatedly reassured him that she was fine and just sleeping from exhaustion. He sat next to her telling her how much he missed her.He told her how he felt that a portion of him was missing without her by his side; He told her how much he loved her…. He begged her to wake up… He sat by her side never taking his eyes of her pale face… holding her hand … and begging her to wake up….He started to tell her their story from his perspective. He told her how she disturbed him from their first encounter. How he thought that she had approached him with a purpose, He told her how he shamelessly wanted to see her even if he knew that she had approached him with a purpose.He told her how he used to follow her like a shadow just to feel her
Ben was on edge now that Dana was full term. He kept following her nervously like a shadow. One evening just as they finished dinner and were heading upstairs to retire, Dana stood still on the stairs and called weakly “Ben….”“What is it?” Ben looked affectionately at his wife who had stopped walking and became stiff.“I…. my …. I think my water broke.” Dana barely managed to mumble as she held on tightly to Ben.“You…. you….” Ben froze.Alexa was the first to react. She ran downstairs to alert Shadow and Mrs Bentley before running back upstairs to get the baby bag that Dana had prepared beforehand.“CEO” Alexa called out helplessly as she saw a frozen Ben.“Huh?” Ben looked at the panic-stricken Dana and came to his senses. He carried her and ran downstairs carefully. Alexa informed him that Shadow was waiting downstairs with the car. Shadow had informed Steve as soon as Alexa came running downstairs. Everything at the hospital would be set by Steve.Shadow sped towards the hospital;
Shadow had been getting along fabulously with Ruth and decided that he wanted to get married watching Ben’s bliss. He had decided on Ruth, then what was the point in delaying… but the problem was he had no idea how to…. he was also worried if Ruth didn’t have the same intention… then wouldn’t he be making a fool of himself?Shadow walked around with a constipated expression. He would have asked Dana’s help if his boss wasn’t so petty…. But what could he do… his boss was!“What’s wrong?” Dana finally asked as she couldn’t bear to watch his miserable face.“I …” Shadow suddenly felt tongue tied. He was waiting for Dana to ask…. But when she did, he didn’t know how to vocalize his problem. He lowered his head with a frown on his lips.“He wants to propose to Ruth but doesn’t know how to.” Ben didn’t give Shadow any face when he mercilessly pierced through his wall.“Oh….” Dana nodded perceptively “You are worried that she doesn’t have that intention and she will reject?”Shadow nodded alt
The ladies went shopping happily without realizing that none of their actions were missed by their men.Dana wanted to see how Ruth was going so she decided to stop by her shop. However, she changed her mind when she got to Ruth’s shop and pulled the others and ran. Granger was at the store pestering Ruth. It was most certainly a crime to stop someone’s fortune and she didn’t want her husband to have another enemy…..hehe…hehe… she was quite clever!“What are you laughing like a fool for?” Lara asked looking at Dana’s silly smile.Dana shrugged keeping her silly smile but didn’t enlighten the two.“Sister-in-law...” A sweet sound called from behind as the ladies were immersed in their world of freedom.The three turned in unison but Dana’s face darkened as she saw Lizzie walking towards her smiling like a flower. She had almost forgotten her promise to Bertie.“When did I become your sister-in-law?” Dana folded her hands looking arrogantly at Lizzie.“Soon… soon we will be family.” Lizz
In a condemned cell in B country, Pigle read the news of embezzlement of 10 million in public funds from Pigle enterprises. He begged the prison guards to let him see his son one last time.Jefferson indulged him considering he had inadvertently helped Ben get closure to the mystery that was haunting him for more than 15 years.Pigle junior arrived promptly to see his father once he was granted visitation rights.“Son, this is all Mr Adalase’s doing. You have to become strong and hit him hard.” Charles eyes were red with anger.“Dad, I know all about the cause and effect of this incident.” Pigle junior lowered his head in shame. His father was his pride. He looked up to his father but now…. looking at all the shameful things his father had done, he didn’t want any part in it. He wanted to take his mother and run far from all this shame.“Son…” Charles called; his eyes widened as he lifted in eyebrows.Pigle junior showed the video that was sent to him soon after the incident broke out.