“Didn’t you ask me not to listen in?”“Oh…” Dana raised her eyebrows unconvinced ‘Who wouldn’t listen in just because she told him not to?’“Can I listen in on the recording?”“No”“Baby, I want to listen” Ben acted like a spoilt child. He started being dishonest by kissing and nibbling on her neck.“Okay” Dana just wanted him to stop. She remembered the conversation with Mr. Bosner. ‘Not good… she didn’t want him to know. What should I do?’ She racked her brain.“Don’t take anything I said seriously as I was just trying to stimulate him psychologically” Dana added in a relaxed tone. This was her excuse for what she said in the room with Mr. Bosner.“Thank you” He kissed her on her nape.“Why didn’t you just listen in…?” Dana asked in exasper
Ben drove straight back. He had to discuss with Ed and Frank what their next step should be, and he wanted to watch the recording of Dana’s discussion with David. On the way, he dialed Shadow- “Boss” “Dana’s car is parked at Downtown café. Get it to her house and return straight back.” “Noted” Shadow paused, would it be presumptuous if he asked?’ “What is it?” Ben noticed the hesitation in Shadow’s voice. “Boss could you wait for me before you discuss…” Shadow’s voice trailed off; he couldn’t get himself to complete the request. Ben hummed before hanging up. “Style” Shadow yelled with urgency into the walkie-talkie. Ed and Frank looked at Shadow with raised eyebrows. A well-built man with a high and tight hair style with long bangs swept to his left arrived in front of Shadow and saluted mischievously. He had an unruly and frivolous aura with a distinct sharpness in his eyes. He was one of Shadow’s elite
The next day-Ben arrived as agreed at Dana’s company at 10 am and messaged her “Downstairs”Dana came out of the building in a second. She was waiting in the reception downstairs.“That was quick” Ben opened the passenger door for Dana.“Wasn’t the appointment for 10?” Dana checked the time on her mobile“Yes, but aren’t women usually fashionably late?” Ben started the car.“Don’t know. My time is valuable, and I assume so is everyone else’s” Dana had a nonchalant expression.Ben sighed!“Do you mind if my friends listen in our conversation?”“I am not sure if whether what I am going to suggest would make sense.” Dana hesitated.“They are my best friends; you don’t have to be conscious of them listening.”“
“There is however a catch!”“What?” Ed felt like his bubble was about to be burst; ‘Was the sliver of hope for this impossible mission about to be taken away?’“For the success of this operation, we would also have to find someone who matches Jack and David not only in stature but also David’s blood composition.”“Let me look into this” Ed pursed his lips into a straight line.“I will screen my dark guards” Frank added.Ben pursed his lips. He didn’t want to volunteer. He didn’t want this plan to work. He stared gloomily into Dana’s eyes.Dana raised her eyebrows in a questioning arc and gave him an imploring look.“I will look into mine too!” Ben added unwillingly under Dana’s prompts.“Great” Dana’s eyes sparkled.“Let’s leave it at this and meet once we have a few more answers
“Verdict monsieur?”“Magnifique maestro” Ben praised lavishly. He thoroughly enjoyed Dana’s infatuated gaze.Tarz bowed theatrically.“Now for my payment” He paused “a picture for my collection.”He took his camera and ordered “Now stand together.”He looked through his camera lens “No…no…no...”He walked towards them “Allow me!” He raised his hand to pull Dana but was pushed by Ben “No!”“Tsk…. tsk…Anna, be dear and let’s show this wooden couple how it’s done in style.”Anna walked up to Tarz and he pulled her into his embrace, and she leaned gracefully onto his chest “See” Tarz raised his eyebrows mockingly.Ben lips curled upwards ‘This twisted idiot was interesting’. He pulled Dana close to him holding her habitually by her waist. Dana turned her head towards Ben and raised her chin and eyes to look at Ben. He stared into her eyes affectionately.“Click” The camera shutter flashed.“No…no…no” Tarz feigned unhappiness and walked up to Dana and pressed her head against Ben’s chest “
David looked up as the door opened. He sat upright as he saw Dana. His face brightened as he realized that Ben didn’t follow her.“Dana" David called excitedly “I have drawn all of them.”Dana looked at the pictures and smiled.“Is this how they really look?” Dana asked feigning surprise.David nodded confidently.“That’s great! Do you remember anything else like a tattoo or a cut or any distinctive feature?” David thought for a while before drawing the picture of the beak of a bird within a shape that resembled a broken ‘T’, without the left half of the horizontal line and the vertical line seemed to be wacked in a bit. “This was on the left hand” David pointed to the back of his palm.“Umm” Dana nodded and looked in interest.David’s ego took a boost seeing Dana was interested. He started to draw more bits and pieces to the other portraits. All he wanted at this time was for Dana to sit admiring him.Ben was anxiously waiting outside. ‘Why was she taking long? Has he hurt her? Why
Dana shook her head ‘This man has a venomous tongue.’Ben’s gaze was fixed on Dana’s face contemplating how to ask what was bothering him. He didn’t know how to ask as he had never previously been interested in other people’s business and hence never learned the art of tactful enquiry. This was Frank’s forte; He was neither tolerant nor diplomatic. His world was blunt, he spouted whatever he wanted to ask, and the other party would oblige if they didn’t have a death wish!“What?” Dana couldn’t stand Ben’s burning gaze.“Did he ever hurt you?”“What?? No” Dana shook her head “Why? I mean whatever gave you that idea?”“You seem to have been rather shaken when I came in…” Ben paused not knowing how to continue.“Oh… that’s nothing. I let you see a joke” Dana laughed shallowly and tried to brush it off.“It didn’t look like nothing and I would like to know but if you don’t trust me, then I won’t trouble you” Ben looked intently at Dana. He didn’t want to be polite with her; In his mind, s
Dana looked at the time on her phone and mumbled “I will probably be cursed and yelled at … but what the heck!” She dialed and waited for the other end to pick up.“What is wrong with you woman? Do you know what time it is in my part of the world?” A sleepy voice growled over the phone.“Hi Stewart, yes it’s been a long time since we caught up!” Dana smiled mischievously as she retorted even though she knew he couldn’t see her.Ben sat quietly observing Dana, he had never seen this side of Dana. The more he interacted, the more he liked her. He wanted to know her more, know every nuances of her character.“What is it?” Stewart sat up lazily as he fumbled for his glasses on the bedside table.“Can’t I call because I missed you?” Dana still had a playful look.“Does the sun rise in the west?”“Why are you a grumpy old man?”
“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.