Millicent Atkinson sits in the driver’s seat of her sleek silver colored car, her fingers drumming nervously against the steering wheel. The city comes and goes around her, but her thoughts are locked on one thing.Arthur.She should be heading to her interview, one that Tina, her manager, had meticulously arranged to promote her new movie coming up, but the thought of sitting there answering mundane questions pales in comparison to seeing him. She has never been able to stop thinking of him after all. She hadn’t even known he had returned to New York until that man sent those pictures. Not to talk of getting remarried.The mysterious had sent her name too. He had been paid twenty five thousand for everything but Millicent does not regret it. Her name is Bethany and she is equally an heiress. And she is beautiful too.“You’re throwing away a golden opportunity.” Tina had said earlier, her tone more disapproving than angry. What right did the small woman have to be angry at her anyeay,
In the evening of the same day, the door bursts open and Charles rushes in, sweat beaded on his forehead some running down behind his ears, he has lost a lot of weight and his eeys are red and bloodshot, his lips chapped and his neck has deep wells from being malnourished. He walks briskly past the hall and the dining room until he comes to the living room where Daisy sits with her head between her hands, rocking herself back and forth as though she is grieving over someone that died.Charles came to an abrupt stop, John raises his head to look at him, and then casts his eyes back down when he sees the state of his son’s life.Daisy sits there in the awfully brightly lit living room, her body curled into a tight ball on the couch. Her arms wrap around her knees as she rocks herself back and forth, tears streaming down her face. The silence in the house is choking, interrupted only by her soft sobs. The reality of Quinn being nowhere to be found is sinking further in with each hour.Jo
As the door closes behind him when he steps into the office, he takes off the long white coat and drapes it around his coat hanger, Mason Campbell paces the length of his office, his hands stuffed into his pockets, his expression a mixture of irritation and amusement. The early morning sunlight streams through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the room. Papers and files lie scattered across his desk, forgotten as his mind fixates on something, or rather, someone he can’t seem to shake away from his thoughts.He has been at work since as early as six am because of an urgent surgery he had to perform but even till now, he could not shake off his wandering thoughts.With a frustrated sigh, Mason stops by the window and gazes out at the city and building rooftops below. His jaw tightens as he remembers his last run in with Chara.Their encounters, even right from the start, were never pleasant, always charged with a tension that left him fuming. Yet, for reasons he refuses to
Having gone to bed early from the day’s stress, at night, John opens his eyes to some small sounds in the house. He had not been able to sleep anyway, starting from the dead body he had seen thinking it was his daughter, to the loss of his company’s hopeful source of redemption that is now gone and impending bankruptcy, and above all, the pain in his side from getting kicked. He had not eve able to tell anyone of his family just yet on what is going on with him and the company, and that they might be poor now.He pushes around the bed till his legs dangle off the side of the bed, putting on his slippers. His movements startles Daisy who opens her eyes and sees him sitting up in bed.“John?” She calls out, wearily.He looks to her side of the bed, taking on an apologetic look. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up, most especially when you had been up for two whole days.”“What’s wrong?” She asks, sitting up as well, wiping the sleep out of her eyes.“I thought I heard some noises, so I
After twenty minutes of driving, Arthur parks the car in front of Campbell Hospital, the tires screeching slightly as he comes to an abrupt stop. Without a second thought, he throws the door open and steps out, Bethany following beside him in equal pacing. The chilly night air bites at their faces, but neither of them seems to notice. “Fifth floor, thank you.” Arthur says curtly after speaking to the receptionist, his voice tense with urgency. He presses the elevator button repeatedly, as if sheer force will make it arrive faster. Bethany stays quiet beside him, her hands clutched tightly around her purse. The sight of Arthur’s clenched jaw and furrowed brow makes her heart ache, but she knows this isn’t the time to offer comfort. There is a difference between loathing people and wishing them evil. She won't wish such as suicide on even her enemy, not even her enemy's daughter. Even though has been evil to her in the past, she did not look anything like someone who would take her ow
Knock Knock.“Please come on in.” Henderson invites Chara inside his office, motioning her to a seat. “Thank you for taking on that work in such short notice. How do you like your team? Are they fit to work with?”“I think some are a bit rough around the edges and will need discipline, but they are doing pretty good. Is there an important thing I need to hear or some news I need to know? I’m getting some weird feelings about getting called to your office twice in a row as soon as I resume work.”Henderson sighs, stifling a laugh. “Yes. Please read this.” He extends his phone to her and she takes it from him, reading the message.Her eyes cloud over. “Who sent this?”“I received it yesterday from Campbell Hospital and apparently, from the Managing Director, Mason Campbell. He seemed to have some reserves about the work yesterday. I did not peg him for the picky type though. I mean, you took care of a troublemaker for him, that should be more than enough to be grateful for.”Chara holds
In front of Campbell Corporation, Arthur parks the car after driving here to drop Bethany off at work. He kisses her right hand. “I have not forgotten about our honeymoon, far from it. I just don’t hate my sister enough to ignore her when she is in such pain as a time such as this.”Bethany smiles. “Even I would consider it weird if you decide to ignore her at a time when she needs you like this. My heart breaks for her. I cant imagine having to go through something like that.”“Our children will never.” Arthur reassures her. “I’ll head to the hospital after filing another case at the same one where they had filed the missing one. They will be able to start their investigations from the point where she had been found.”Bethay nods. “You should get going. I’ll head inside as well. I’ll come over there after work.”“Just give me a call, I’ll come pick you up.”“Alright then. I love you.” Bethany says with a small smile.Arthur chuckles. “I love you till the end of time.” He responds, wa
Sienna, the mistress, paces around her small apartment, her movements deliberate and a bit calculative as she bites her inner cheeks, it has all come to a head. John’s message from the night before flashes on her phone screen, the same way she had been checking it every minute since it had delivered some six hours before. “Move out. I’m selling the place. We’ll talk later. Don’t call.” She stares at the words again and again, her lips pressing into a thin line. That’s it? After everything, this is how he decides to end it? “You’re more predictable than I thought.” She mutters to herself, resting her hand on her chin. For two years, two whole years, she has played her role perfectly as John’s hidden mistress, tucked secretly away from his world of wealth and family. She has been patient, knowing fully well that her time will come. But now, he is trying to discard her? As if she is nothing? He doesn’t realize what she’s really here for, does he? Of course, he is too dense to know.
The next morning starts as a peaceful one.It’s end?Maybe not.Bethany rises from the bed, pushing her legs to the ground. After getting freshened up, she goes downstairs and has breakfast with her husband.Being a Saturday makes it all better since she can spend the entire day inside with her husband but she has something to do.Returning upstairs, she sits on their bed and dials a number.It rings for a full twenty seconds plus before anyone picks it up.“Good afternoon, my name is Bethany, I am hoping to speak to Millicent Atkinson?”There is a pause at the other end before a cheery sounding lady responds. “Oh hi ma’am, my name is Tina and I am Millicent’s manager. Can you please call back in about two minutes from now? I’ll go hand the phone to her now.”“Oh, I can wait online while you go ahead, thank you.”She will give them no chance to weasel out of it. It won’t be surprising if she hangs up, calls back in the said two minutes and they refuse to pick.She has to talk to Milli
Up in Arthur’s office after the short conference that is safe to say had left all of the reporters with even more questions than the answers that they have come for, Bethany sips some orange juice, laughing at something that Arthur had said.“You know, you are like the regular kind of CEO but you are a money grubber too. I can’t believe you said it out loud that you will get only richer with the lawsuits, come on.” Bethany comments, while laughing.“Well, if there is one thing I know people hate in our society, it is the rich getting richer… and yet, they are not helping themselves either. So I know that if I make that statement that I will use their money to get even richer, they will stop, or at least, it will reduce.Bethany bursts into another round of laughter.“Why were you at the hospital anyway?” Arthur asks, coming to sit on the same couch as she is.Bethany’s face lights up and then dies down. “I learnt quite a lot of things there today. I’ll start with Quinn. She told me th
The press conference hall buzzed with anticipation.Every seat is filled with bloggers, reporters, tabloids, newspapers, and even people with online news channels and cameras were positioned in every corner, and journalists from various media outlets had gathered to hear the truth from the couple who had been dominating the news lately, first, secod and third ost searched news were about them.The hushed voices amd comemnys in the air was thick and full of gossip, and all eyes were fixed on the stage, waiting for the moment when Arthur will make his appearance and the conference will start.They have their questions down and written already, also, they are immensely curious as to why Millicent and Arthur had divorced anyway so that is the main reason for their presence…As the lights dimmed slightly, signaling the start of the conference, Arthur stepped forward.His demeanor was calm, collected, and resolute, most especially since his wife now knows everything that happened in his pas
John Worth sits at his desk, a complete mess, his head buried in his hands.His office, once the center of his confidence and power, now feels like a prison. He has nowhere to go and rest his head and worse, no one to go to for comfort. The weight of everything, the scandal with Sienna being his child, and the suffocating guilt of having an affair with her for years and now, she is dead, presses down on him, making it hard to breathe.But the worst part is the uncertainty, the part that he does not know.Had he been the one to kill her? He couldn’t remember.His mind is a fog of confusion, and the last few hours of that day with Sienna were nothing but a blur. He recalls the anger, the confrontation, but after that... it was all darkness.A shrill ring from his phone startled him, pulling him out of his confusing thoughts.John blinks, his hands shaking as he reaches for the device. He doesn’t recognize the number, but something inside him tells him to answer it.“Hello?” His voice cr
The lights in Unique Auditing company flicker once, then slowly began to fade floor by floor, casting the building into darkness. Each level’s lights went off in sequence staring from the grund floor, leaving only the top floor illuminated, the faint glow cutting through the night surrounding the tall building.Up on that top floor, a figure sits motionless and unmoving in the CEO’s chair, waiting patiently.As the final lights went out, the entire building was plunged into silence and darkness.The figure rose slowly, pulling off a black mask that had been obscuring their face for the whole day. They rubbed their sore jaw, letting out a quiet sigh of relief as they stretched their stiff muscles. Sitting the whole day just to keep an identity hidden is a lot of work but the rewards make it entirely worth it.Reaching for the phone on the desk, they hesitate before turning on the flashlight.The beam of light was kept low, barely enough to illuminate the room but just perfect for what
“Wonder why she went to go get groceries herself when I offered to help.” Arthur mutters to himself as he paces around his study.He had resorted to working from home as soon as Millicent’s pregnancy clocked four months, choosing to stay at home with her so she is not bored. And even though she has not been saying much lately, he still tries to make her laugh, which she does sometimes, and today, he has something planned for her.If it works out, she’ll have something to think back to and smile even till their Azalea actually becomes a living human baby.“Ugh… Waiting around is killing me. I should stroll over to her or something.” Impatient, Artur dons a casual white tee shirt and some denim pants, choosing to walk over there instead, to clear his head and get his thoughts in order.The baby’s coming has taken most of the toll on Millicent but he has also made some sacrifices, even having to turn billions worth of contracts away because he can’t leave his wife at the doctor’s and lea
Two years into the wedding, still the picture perfect billionaire couple, the duo attended all functions with their spouses, they did picnics, had fun like a couple should, then came that day.Millicent bursts into the house with a sheet of paper in her hands, her breathing coming in short, loud gasps.Arthur descends the staircase of their Beverly Hills house in Los Angeles. “Hon, welcome back. You look pale? Did something happen?”Millicent is too speechless to say a anything and just hands him the piece of paper, which turns out to be a pregnancy test.“I am four weeks gone. A month. I thought I just had a simple cold, nausea, of course sometimes we get nauseated and shit. But pregnancy? There is a baby growing inside me?” Millicent mutters to no one in particular.Arthur, on the other hand, is happy for the news. Their family will now be complete after all. He picks her up from the ground in a hug and twirls her around. His joy for the pregnancy overshadowing hers by miles. “This
Years ago at Stanford University, a much younger Arthur Worth rushes across the campus grounds, his backpack slung over one shoulder and his books tucked under his arm. He’s already running late for his lecture and barely notices the bustling crowd of students around him as he walks through and around them, just trying to make it to class on time.As he nears the lecture building, his mind preoccupied with the material he’s about to study, Arthur doesn’t see the girl approaching from the opposite direction who is laughing at something she is listening to… Until it’s too late.Crash!They collide at the foot of the stairs, and suddenly everything is a blur. Books, papers, and even a cup of coffee go flying into the air. The next thing Arthur knows, he’s on the ground, his belongings scattered across the floor, and warm coffee stains spread across his shirt.“Damn it.” He mutters, looking down at the mess. His eyes then land on the girl, who’s already on her knees, frantically picking u
“Set up the camera properly.” She order bitterly, her eyes downcast as she watches Tina do the set up. The younger woman has a small smile on her face to show that in the end, she’ll triumph. She had told her not to do anything crazy anyway and she went ahead to instigate the world against a poor woman just because of her obsession and now she has been put, rudely, in her place.“Are you done?” Millicent asks her, a sharp edge to her tone.Tina nods, stepping back. “Do you want me to hand you the note once again so you can revise?”“No, its fine. I know what I want to say already.”“Camera rolling… Three, two… one. Go.”Millicent is an actress so it would be entirely weird if she is not able to put up an act. As she raises her head to stare into the recording camera, her eyes are slightly drooped at the sides to give an illusion of tiredness and then stay pretty at the same time.Tina snickers inaudibly.“Good afternoon fans out there, I am Millicent Atkinson. In light of my interview