Done with her noodles, Adira stepped out of the threshold to get some air. She had a glass of wine with her which she sipped at intervals while losing herself in a vacant state. The atmosphere seemed so peaceful.It didn't take long before she heard the door opening behind her and guessed it to be Na-ri. That lady has been moving around the house like she owns it. Was she done from Nikolai's room already?She turned to give her a glance and nearly choked on the wine she had in her mouth when she discovered it was Nikolai. It wasn't Na-ri, but Nikolai.She felt the fingers of nervousness crawling into her heart again as she locked eyes with him. Since the previous night, her anxiety had gotten worst around him.He was dressed in black shorts and a T-shirt and looked really handsome - as always. And tho z his eyes looked tired,a subtle glimmer of warmth sparked into them the moment they found Adira.For a few seconds, the air around them freezed as they just gave unexpected stares at ea
TWO WEEKS LATERAs Adira and Nikolai left the car simultaneously, maids ran out of the house to meet them."Welcome, ma'am.""Welcome, sir." They all chorused, their heads bowed.Adira and Nikolai walked pass them into the house, while the maids got their bags from the boot, along with Yvonne who assisted.The mansion was like one Adira had never seen. It was super huge and painted in a neat shade of white. That was the family house of Nikolai's grandparents, and they were there to spend a few weeks with Mr. Thatcher who was close to his demise.Mr Thatcher was Nikolai's grandfather and the founder of Yonder Dynamics. Unfortunately, he was suffering from cancer and wanted to spend the last of his days on earth with his family.Getting into the expansive sitting room, Adira was welcomed by the intoxicating aroma of fine leather and polished wood. The walls were adorned with exquisite artworks, ornate chandeliers dangled from the high ceilings, casting a soft glow over the richness of t
Adira was in awe as she stared at the lady. How was she Mr. Thatcher's wife?! How was she from an influential family? Wasn't that the Lyra she knew?The family paid homage to Mr. Thatcher, flashing pleasant smiles at him - except Nikolai, of course. Man wouldn't smile to save his life."We've all been waiting for you, father. It's a good thing you're here to join us," Mrs Bellamy said, joining to assist him to sit at the head of the table.The whole time, Adira's eyes were on the young lady. She looked prettier and richer. Her hair was smoothly brushed into a fine ponytail, and her face held very light makeup. She had a very short gown on which revealed most of her thighs."Lyra?" She finally voiced out, attracting eyes to her direction.That was the first time the young lady also saw her, and for a second, shock flashed right through her eyes."Yes?" She replaced the shock with a smile, so swiftly like she was an expert. "Do you um...need something from me?"The room was tensed, beca
Adira stood up and ambled to the door at once, and there she found Lyra, looking all radiant in a shimmering dress.A lot had changed about her. Back then, in college, she was mostly looking unkempt and could barely afford good clothes. But now she was looking like a goddess. She was happy for her, no doubt; one thing she wasn't happy about was the fact that she was concealing her identity and might be there for a purpose.The two ladies exchanged weighty stares at each other for a while, saying nothing."Can I come in?" She finally asked, her voice soft and polite.Hesitating a little, Adira nodded and stepped away from the door, giving her access to walk into the room."Could you excuse us, please?" She said this to Yvonne, who was fixing some clothes into the wardrobe."Uh...of course." Yvonne nodded and left, leaving just the two ladies in the room.For a moment, Adira stood behind Lyra, who kept looking around the room, like she was inspecting and admiring it at the same time."L
Adira's heart sank to the pit of her stomach the moment she saw him. Quickly lifting her finger to wipe off the tear, she knew it was too late, as he must've seen it already.Right there, she noticed his walking pace drop, and his gaze settled solely on her.He was in casual home wear but still had this aura of wealth and power around him. It hurt her even more to see him; she couldn't explain why.She had prepared herself for this already. After taking his offer two years ago, she decided within herself never to fall for him or get jealous if he eventually had an affair. She was very aware that her marriage with him was transactional with no emotions involved. So, why the hell was she feeling this way, knowing he had a fiancee on standby?Nikolai got to where she was and stopped walking, his gaze cold on her. Adira had already dropped her gaze to the floor, not wanting him to see any more of her tea
For a long time, Nikolai was silent, the phone still pinned to his ear. His lawyer understood his silence, hence, didn't utter a word and just let him be. He was right - Nikolai thought. It was time to start processing the divorce. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, gazing blankly at the window. There was no going back now, was there? There was no reason for him to...stop. "Start the process." He murmured softly. There was a little silence. "Okay, sir. It'll take me about two - three weeks to draft the papers. I'll let you know as soon as I'm done." The lawyer replied and the call dropped immediately. For a long time after the call ended, Nikolai remained still in his car, his face resting in his palms. Why was he suddenly feeling scared about this? Why was his heart beginning to beat so hard like it was about to explode? This was the right thing to do. If she stays back, her life might be in danger. Moreover, he wasn't so sure she loved him. Yes, she might be sweet
It was different from the first time - he thought. Different from the first time he held her wrist at the mall.Back then, she had snapped at him with eyes simmering with rage. But now, as he held her in the serene room, she stared at him with hurt eyes. Why was she more attractive to him in her somber mood? It was insane."Let go," she muttered, her gaze holding his.Slowly, he did."I mean no harm, Adira. I do hope you realize that."She gave him a long stare, trying to make decisions in her head. Strangely, the words he'd said to her three weeks ago at the meeting room came racing through her mind:'You'll need a man when your husband finally divorces you.'She snapped out of it at once. Why the hell would she think of that? If she divorces Nikolai, there was no way she was getting married again. She couldn't risk being divorced thrice
Adira continued taking light sips from her cup, the whole time, praying silently that Jared would leave. Even if he means no harm, she still felt uncomfortable sharing a room with him. "You know, growing up, I was almost like you." He suddenly said, a wistful smile on his face. "Always lonely and having no one to talk to. I was very lonely 'cause I grew up with a man who was unfortunate enough to be my father. Man was always so busy and I bet there were times he forgot he had a son. "In high school, there were a group of boys that grew fond of bullying me. I'd go home with bruises and try to tell my father about it, but man would hardly look at my face or care. I kept bugging him and one day, he snapped at me - told me to fix my own shit myself." He paused and chuckled, like he was drawing in on a memory. "Next day at school, wanna know what happened? Every one of those bullies were rushed out to the hospital. One of them nearly died. I beat the hell out of them and pushed the last
76Blood gushed from his head, he staggered and his entire body lost balance.Lyra took a step back, the blood-stained knife in her hand. And as soon as she did, the mighty Jagger slumped to the floor.Lyra watched with shaky breath as he writhed and gasped for air. Fearfully, she watched and could do nothing.His widened eyes looked at her, calling for help. Until finally, he stopped struggling. His eyes remained open, but she could tell they weren't alive anymore. He was...dead.The knife fell off her hand, and only then did she realize the gravity of what she had done. With her bare hands, she just killed her own father. She killed him!"No..." She muttered inaudibly, fear eating her up.Disgust crawled into her stomach, making her throw up instantly in the room. Tears spilled from her eyes as she dabbed her lips and looked at her father's corpse on the floor. How did she become this? How could she become this?"No!" She let out a painful cry. Her anger had gotten the best of her.
Lyra walked into the house and found Jagger there in the living room, having some apples. He had a knife with which he cut out the apple before taking it into his mouth. He seemed so happy, while she was there, mourning."Lyra." He called, his mouth full with a chunk of apple. "You didn't tell me you were coming."Lyra's eyes were sore and swollen. She fixed her gaze on him as she dropped her bag on the parting table in the room."How do you do it?" She asked in a low tone. "How do you manage to stay so happy when our biggest plan crashed a week ago? You didn't even bother to comfort me, neither did you seem worried that we had lost a lot of money. You didn't even try to come up with an alternative or something. It's so unlike...you."Jagger scoffed. He sliced out a piece of apple and threw it into his mouth before looking at her."Did you say an alternative? What was I supposed to do? Point a gun at the Kensingtons and threaten them to transfer their wealth to me? You really think th
Bellamy and her husband ran into Nikolai's room and gasped when they found him awake on the bed. When Na-ri had called and told them about it, they couldn't believe. But finally setting their eyes on him..."My dear son..." She whimpered as she went closer, holding his hand. "Good Lord! You're awake."Nikolai was still lying on the bed, and his face etched with concern when his parents came in alone."Nik, how're you feeling?" Mr. Vincent asked, going to stand at the edge of the bed.Nikolai's eyes were fixed on the door, and when he didn't see who he was expecting, he looked at his parents."Where's she? Why isn't she here?" He asked feebly.Bellamy shared a glance with Na-ri. Na-ri had also told them over the phone that he was asking for Adira.Wearing a smile, Bellamy caresssed his hand."Son, you just woke up after a long time. I believe you need as much rest as you can get. Stop worrying about anyone and just...""Where's she?!" He half-yelled. It was now becoming obvious that so
Adira found it difficult believing Bellamy's words. Was she for real? How could this woman have the guts to say this to her face?She was hurt, she wouldn't deny; hurt that Nikolai had been processing their divorce. Of course, he told her about it. But now, it was just too difficult to believe.She sniffed as an uncontrolled tear dropped to her cheek. Looking up at Bellamy, she found no emotions on the woman's face. When did the woman change so much? She used to love her a lot.She looked at the paper again before pushing it away, towards Bellamy."I'm not signing it." She said in a hardened tone.Bellamy's brows furrowed in surprise. She never expected that rigidity from Adira."Are you being serious?" She scoffed. "Do you have any idea what I'm offering you? If you agree to sign these documents, I'll make sure we drop the charges against you and you can be out of jail. You'll be free."The temptation of the offer lingered on Adira's mind. Being in here for the past one week had not
It's been a week now.Vesper seemed to be the one benefitting more from the death of Mr. Thatcher as he felt there was no will to share. Due to Nikolai's absence, his position at the company had gotten pretty high. It was all he's ever wished for.His grandfather had been buried already, but the air at home was always tinged with sadness. He even had to move out of the mansion as he got tired of the unending gloom.He just finished from a meeting and was walking out with his assistant when a call came into his phone. It was Kalina again. He'd lost count of the number of times she had called him for the day, and it was becoming annoying already.Grudgingly, he answered the call."Finally! Someone decided to take my call." She exclaimed, her voice echoing with anger. "What is going on, Vesper? You have been ignoring me for ages now.""I was in a meeting, okay? And you were interrupting." His reply was peeved.Kalina scoffed, like she couldn't believe it. "Seriously? Now, I'm being a pes
Lyra ran into her father's house and fell onto the couch immediately, crying her eyes out. Jared was there as well, but neither of them said a word to Lyra as she wept profusely."All I needed was one more day." She whimpered, her face covered in her palms. "The will was to be ready today, and he'd have signed it already. My life would've been all better by now."Jagger had a glass of wine with him, and he sipped from time to time, saying nothing to his hurting daughter."Lyra, come on, it's enough." Jared rolled her eyes, tired of her whinging already."I'm also angry that the plan was ruined at the last minute, but you shouldn't kill yourself over it. With the rate at which you've been crying, you might actually fall sick."Lyra lifted her face from her palms to look at him."You think I'm worried about being sick right now? Do you have any idea what I've planned? How much that money was supposed to help me?" She pointed a hand to her chest."My life is ruined, Jared! But of course,
Adira let out a terrifying scream immediately, her eyes nearly bulging out of her sockets. The bag she held slipped to the floor, and her heart pounded repeatedly against her ribcage. She was too frightened to move and simply watched as blood gushed from his head. It didn't take long before people rushed out, drawn by her scream. First,it was Finn and his wife, followed by Vesper and Kalina. They all expressed great shock at the sight in front of them. "Grandpa!" Finn and Vesper ran to his unconscious body. His wheelchair had fallen along with him and was beside his body on the floor. From every indication, someone pushed him. Finn and Vesper were trying to get him from the floor when Bellamy came out. She gasped at the sight she found. "What the hell happened here? What happened to him?!" Her eyes were already sore. Nobody could say anything and instead, focused on getting the old man from the floor. Adira's heart raced heavily. She watched with bated breath as Finn and Vesper
Vesper walked back to her, a scrowl on his face."What nonsense are you spewing, Adira?"He asked hoarsely. "From what Na-ri said, you're the reason he got drunk and drove out in that state. So, why the fúck are you trying to point accusing fingers at me?"Adira rose to her feet, still maintaining a calm look."You shouldn't get so worked up. I'm just asking because, you seem to be the only one benefitting from all this.""Well, I didn't do it. So, watch your words." He glared at her and left.Adira fell back to her seat, finally letting her weakness shadow her features. Nikolai's condition was making her lose her mind. She knew Vesper had nothing to do with the accident, she was just upset that he was benefitting from it.****†****†****†Jared was in a bad mood and decided to stay home for the day. He was in his room when his phone started off beside him. Glancing at the screen, he discovered it was his father.He ignored it at first, not wanting to speak with the man. But he called a
68Nikolai's condition was very critical - the doctor said. They've done all they could for him at the moment, but he was still not regaining consciousness.Adira got to learn that the accident was so bad, and it was only by a miracle he had been able to come out of the car alive. This got her even more frightened. What would have happened if he wasn't lucky? How would she be able to live with herself, knowing she caused his death? Even if it was not entirely her fault, still it started with her.The following morning, most of the family members had to leave to take care of other things. Bellamy didn't want to go, but she was convinced by her husband that she needed a bath and a change of clothes.As for Adira, she couldn't go.When she had the chance to be alone with him, she went into the room and a tear dropped to her cheek. Her Nikolai wasn't looking any better.He had an oxygen pipe beneath his nose, had a big bandage wrapped around his head, his leg was placed on support and a d