Exactly a week and three days later, it's very early in the morning in Charles's Worth home and now, he lives with his newly celebrated wife, who is now free to live with her husband ever since the first wife decided to leave of her own free will...
Only that a couple things are starting to change... Charles comes in frustrated and runs his hands through his hair over and over again. "Argh!" Alexa turns in bed and opens her eyes. "What's got you so riled up this early in the morning?" Charles looks over at her and sighs, trying to suppress the boiling rage within him. "It's nothing, go back to bed." It's all you ever do anyway. "Did you say something?" "What? No." He stands up from the unlaid bed and walks down the living room, he looks around and realizes how much, within a week, the whole place looks like a pigsty. His mind does a flashback to just two weeks ago, and maybe as far back as two years ago. Bethany was an early riser and even before Charles, who as well woke up pretty early would wake up to go to work, she'll have his breakfast ready, his shirt and coat for the day neat, ironed and ready... And she never sent him off without a goodbye kiss. Charles shakes his head vigorously to rid himself of those thoughts. On another note, he brings out his phone and dials her number. And it's the same response he's been getting for a whole week. "The number you're calling is out of service." Now, Alexa is still sleeping up in the room, his shirts are unwashed not to talk of being ironed and worse, there is absolutely no breakfast for him to have... Bethany... Frustrated with himself, he grabs his wrinkled coat and dirty shirt and slams the door on the way out. Later that evening, Charles decided to go say hi to his parents and possibly even eat his dinner over there since he's pretty sure that Alexa will be in bed by the time he gets home, or as is her daily routine, she'll complain of being tired running her mall to actually care about his own needs and in the end of the argument, he'll end up being the selfish bad guy, the villain. Charles plops into the chair as his Dad, John watches the evening news on the television. "I wonder why you watch the business and entertainment section, it's always so boring to me." Charles remarks John laughs lightly. "When you run a business that requires you to know what's going on around you, you will come to understand. You're just being lazy, I'll soon step down for you to take over, just a few months to go and you'll be the CEO and you don't like watching the business news? You better start now if you want to make it by then." Charles rolls his eyes. "Nothing is going to happen. Ages have changed past all of these..." Quinn comes down the staircase wearing very skimpy clothing with heavy makeup. "And where you headed young lady?" John asks her as soon as he sets his eyes on her. "I have a date with my boyfriend this evening." Daisy comes round with a spray bottle in her hands. She looks at Quinn up and down and shakes her head. "You look cute but don't you think it's a little too cute? Maybe you should tone it down a bit?" Quinn scoffs. "Such old people I have parents. You don't know anything about the current trends and fashion..." She pauses for a split second, staring at the screen. "Isn't that Bethany?" Almost immediately, every head snaps in the direction of the screen that's currently a little too silent for their hearing. John immediately turns it up. "... introducing the woman who had gone missing very many years ago, they found her recently and are announcing the old CEO will be handing over to her. This is what she had to say at her interview..." "What? CEO of where? What are they saying?" Charles mutters "That's guttersnipe. She's probably just trying to claw her way up by using some old rich man." Arthur comes into the room wordlessly and stands at the back, smirkint while watching the events on the screen. Daisy chips in next. "Maybe we should not be too worried about her. It's probably some old, run down construction company that she is getting and is only blowing it out of proportion so we can come begging or something. Don't pay any attention to it..." Bethany's rich voice, during the interview waxes out of the speakers into all their listening ears. "I am so happy to be here. Never did I imagine that I was ever going to find my real family." A reporter asks her before she walks away. "What's your relationship status? I'm sure so many eligible men would love to know." Bethany laughs lightly and turns to face the camera. Looking directly at the screen, almost like she's looking right at Charles, he sits up, hanging on to her every word. Maybe, just maybe he still has a chance? "I am Bethany Worth. Mrs Bethany Worth." "Whoa, you're married?" Bethany smiles beautifully, the light catching on the jewelry that dazzles around her neck and her fingers as she flashes her ring to the camera. "Yes, I am." Charles frowns. "That's not..." Daisy scoffs immediately. "What did I tell you about this woman being desperate for attention? She ran away from the family but she is still using our reputable name to garner attention to her useless company." "Or she's probably Bethany Worth because she's married to me." Arthur remarks, his head tilted to the side ever so slightly, observing the family in front of him. Daisy is the first to snap out of it. "What did you say? Those kind of jokes are too expensive Arthur." Arthur only laughs drily. "I, Arthur Worth, is married to Bethany Worth, the beautiful woman on the television right now." He states again, flashing an identical ring with the one they just saw on the screen on Bethany's finger."I, Arthur Worth, is married to Bethany Worth, the beautiful woman on the television right now." He states again, flashing an identical ring with the one they just saw on the screen on Bethany's finger. The light catches on it and it's unmistakeably the same one that Bethany had shown to the world.Charles immediately springs up and dives for Arthur's collar. "You're what?! You're just an ordinary uncle of mine... Married to Bethany? Who are you to her? She's my...""Your what?" Arthur asks him coolly, maintaining the eye contact so Charles will realize what he is doing. "Don't tell me you were about to call her your wife?" Arthur raises his hands and effortlessly sweep Charles's invasive hands off his chest area. He breezes past him and stands in front of everyone, between the despicable Worth family and the television where the interview is still ongoing although no one is listening now.Arthur clears his throat. "Oh no, I am not about to explain myself and my decisions to you... Bu
Back in John's living room, Daisy is pacing around, livid. "Why will you take such a decision without consulting us? Do you just how much desperate she must have been to seduce you?"Arthur rolled his eyes. "I was the one who asked her to marry me, she did not in any way seduce me or show loss of morality like you're implying."Charles stands up from where he had been biting his nails and come to Arthur in front. "I'm sorry for grabbing you by the collar earlier but see where I am coming from. She divorced me without my permission... I know that sounds pretty stupid but it's what she did. If she can do that to me while I am drunk, imagine the horrendous things she can do to you while you're not looking."Arthur maintains a level gaze and let's him finish rambling before replying. "First, she did no such thing."Charles shakes his head vehemently. "I knew you would not believe me when I said that. That's exactly how it went, all of us here including her was in that house, she is the on
Just the next morning, Bethany wakes up as early as she always does and heads downstairs to make breakfast for herself and Arthur, what she did not expect is that she'll meet Arthur down there already, making bacon and eggs."Good morning." She greets, standing by the door.He turns around and smiles. "Good morning, please come have a seat." His eyes wander down to her hands and he suddenly rinses his hands in the tap and comes over to meet her. "You took off the bandage?""It was long overdue..." She massages the back of her palm where the bandage had been wrapped around from the coffee burn. "It's going to scar though.""I won't let it." He walks over to the living room where Beth peeks after him but he soon goes out of sight and then returns with a small lotion in his hands. "I had gotten this yesterday but I had forgotten to give it to you. They say it works quite well to clean burn scars. Maybe you should give it a try?""Tha... Uhm, I will."Arthur chuckles. "I see you're gettin
Her words spark a reaction in everyone in the lobby, including the receptionist who immediately rings up Jade and exchanges a few words with her.Alexa smirks at the reaction she's able to get from the people as they start to gather and to murmur amongst themselves. "Oh, you're wondering if it is true? It is completely and totally true. I received an anonymous tip this morning that my husband, who did not come home last night has spent the whole night with this whore."The elevator opens and out comes the tall, black haired secretary, Jade.She simply looks at the door and the men nod immediately, reading the meaning in her look.With the aura she possesses, as she walks to meet Alexa in the middle of the large hall, the people standing in her way part so she can walk through to the front."Are you sure about this claims?"Alexa turns to her immediately, completely thinking something else. She definitely has the look of a reporter so Alexa thought she's reached out so she can get an e
"When I was three years old, some of you have got children that age or maybe even less, either way, I went missing as a child. Still don't know how that happened but I disappeared when I was three. When I became conscious of myself and my surroundings, I discovered I didn't have parents and was living in an orphanage run on charity... Things were tight. Even that I had to do after school jobs and all of that just to make ends meet."By now, the whole hall is silent and hanging on to her every word while she mentally accesses the situation before her.Daisy is there, waiting to lay a bait so that all these reporters that line up the front row on the other side will have something to drag her for but if she wants to have a successful life, she must avoid online conflicts by all means, and even if they do happen, it must be in her favor...And what's better to bring a person to the right side than a sob story? True story, but sob all the same... "When I turned eighteen, I was turned out
Back in the office, Bethany breathes a heavy sigh of relief as she grabs her bag off the couch. "We can leave now.""Sure." Arthur opens the door for her and she heads out first.Jade is standing right there in the doorway. "You had informed me that you won't be around for most of today so most of your meetings have been rescheduled between tomorrow and the day after.""Thank you very much Jade.""Also, I wanted to ask if we should blacklist Daisy Worth?""Yes please. John Worth too, even though he has not come here yet. That's practically the whole family.""Noted ma'am. Have a nice day."Bethany nods her thanks and walks past with Arthur nodding slightly at the secretary as he passes her by.Jade keeps her expressionless eye on the duo till the elevator doors close before she turns around and walks into her office, setting to the work.At the lobby, people bow in greeting and voice their greetings each as the duo walk by."You're cool ma'am." Someone says and she laughs, forcing the
The kiss lasts for about three minutes before he pulls away, trying to catch his breath. He then chuckles."What's funny?" She asks, breathlessly."I just thought of something.""What is that?""You take my breath away, literally."She rolls her eyes and laughs lightly, the earlier tense moments forgotten. "We are here." He announces as he looks out the window to see the tall gates that he's starting to get familiar with. The gates open right when they get to the front.Bethany does not fail to notice the blinking cameras at the top of the gate pillars that are turned their way.The car drives by and enters into the large estate. Not a compound, an estate. It's so large that there are acres and acres of vineyards stretched on both sides of the road and at the end of it is some scattered apartments and homes for members of the staff to live in so there is no shortage of staff around.Right smack in the middle of the large expanse of land is a castle like building. Complete with the si
Just about ten minutes later, dressed fully in a suit and long deep blue coat, Mason comes down the staircase, stopping to see the trio in the living room."Good afternoon. Hi Mum..." He comes in and pecks Martha on the forehead."Can't you have just one day off? You're always off to work."Mason chuckles and shrugs. "What can I say? You gave birth to a man who's a doctor and is a capable boss at the same time, so he's pretty busy." He sends a slight wink to Bethany and then his eyes land on Arthur.Arthur, equally, looks right back at him as well. His lips turned up in a small smile and his eyes daring him to do or say something out of turn."Good afternoon, Mr Worth.""Good afternoon, Mr Campbell. How are you doing today?"Both women exchange glances, feeling the chill in the air."I am quite alright. Ah, I have been meaning to invite you to get a glass of coffee with me, how does that sound with you?"Arthur shrugs, his smile deepening. "Sounds good. You just let me know when and w
After a long but fulfilling day at the company, Bethany closes off from work, feeling lighter than she has in weeks. As she gathers her things, she turns to Jade, who is busy organizing some documents off her table.Bethany chuckles, watching her for a couple of moments before speaking. “Congratulations on your new post as Director of Finance, Jade.” She says, offering a genuine smile.Jade beams at her, clearly proud and ecstatic but trying to keep it professional. “Thank you, Bethany. I’ll do my best to live up to the role.”“I have no doubt that you will, it’s the last day you’ll be a secretary or anyone’s slave.” Bethany replies, giving Jade a reassuring nod. “Now, get some rest. We’ve both earned it. Go out and celebrate and stuff, don’t let work be too much of your priority.”Jade chuckles softly and gives a playful salute before Bethany heads out, making her way home. The whole stress of the day is behind her, and she’s more than ready to enjoy the evening with her family.Well
“Your vote doesn’t count, Kevin Fitzpatrick.” Bethany starts simply. “You’re not a director anymore.” She pulls her eyes over to him, giving him the scariest death stare he has ever seen in his whole life as a man and as a business man. “Your presence here does not count either, you, here, is like a speck of dust, unwanted but can’t be gotten rid of. That, is who you are, Kevin. Nothing more than a leech, sorry for the language to everyone but Kevin…” She clocks her head to the side in a forty five degree angle and looks right into his eyes. “You are a dumb thieving mother fucker.”Bethany’s words hang in the air, and Kevin stands frozen in place, his face drained of color. His eyes dart between Bethany, Martha, and Mason, searching for something for him, an escape, a defense, any sign that this isn’t happening.The directors are also judging him with their eyes, the ones he blackmailed especially staring at him in disdain.But the reality of the moment hits him like a tidal wave. He’
The glass doors of the boardroom swing open, and Jade walks in with Martha’s bag in her hands.The room goes silent as everyone stands, rising to their feet. The directors, except Mason and Bethany, are caught off guard by the presence of the matriarch of the Campbell family.Technically, Bethany did not just attain the post of CEO in hindsight, she is a member of the founding family and Mason had chosen by himself to focus on the hospital alone as seeing the whole conglomerate will be too much work for him considering he is a surgeon as well so Bethany, upon arrival, had automatically taken the baton.Martha, elegant and composed, moves gracefully toward the head of the table. Bethany steps aside without hesitation, vacating her seat for her mother. Martha sits down slowly, her eyes scanning the room.There is a powerful, or should we call it an intimidating silence that fills the boardroom as she looks from face to face, director to director and they look back at her, her gaze linge
The five days left on their self planned mini vacation pass quickly for the duo, especially and mostly for Bethany, but she’s ready. She’s not dreading the board of directors' meeting, not in the slightest.In fact, there is an absolute calm sense of control in the air as she heads in her car to the company from her mum’s place, it’s the last day there anyway and she knows that whatever Kevin Fitzpatrick has up his sleeve, she’s more than prepared.Much more prepared than the money grubbing doofus could ever be.By now, the media is buzzing about the meeting, the entertainment and business world, news and tabloids about companies and private corporations and even some random enthusiasts are all aware of what is happening at the company, thanks to Kevin’s constant whispers to the press. He has been pretty busy making sure everyone knows he expects to walk out as the new CEO of Campbell Conglomerate, the man who finally toppled Bethany from her throne or at least, be the one who will mak
The afternoon air was cool as the man in black stepped out of his car. His brow furrowed as he watched the taillights of a vehicle pulling out of the parking lot, the sight strangely familiar. He stared after it for a moment, but once it disappeared around the corner, he shrugged it off as the car of another wretched individual coming to check up on another wretch living in the building ahead of him.He turned his attention to the run down building in front of him, its once strong structure now crumbling at the edges. The perfect example of age tearing down a place. The faint flicker of a streetlight nearby cast long shadows along the cracked pavement. Without a second thought, he began walking toward the entrance, his footsteps slow and deliberate.He knew who he was looking for but the exact room, he hopes on luck to find it because if he does not end the madness today, he does not know when he will.Inside, the building was just as bleak as its exterior. The walls were stained with
Bethany Worth stood silently in the hospital room, unsure of what to say or do. Daisy had just arrived, her eyes red and puffy from crying, and the air between them felt thick with the tension that had always existed. Despite everything, Bethany found herself wanting to comfort Daisy, even though she knew that Daisy had never been particularly kind toward her.For a moment, Bethany hesitated, unsure of whether she should say something or just leave. Instead, she sat down quietly beside Daisy, not saying a word but offering her silent support.Sometimes, just being there was enough, even though she has no idea why the older woman had bee crying or why her eyes were that red shade of puffy.Daisy wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, her breath shaky. For once, she didn’t push Bethany away. She let herself cry, and Bethany remained beside her, not knowing what else to do but just listen to the almost silent sobbing.Her heart just won’t let her get up and leave her in that state.
Arthur Worth stared at his phone earlier that morning, hesitating for a moment before pressing the call button. He had felt a knot in his stomach, but the call had to be made. With everything going on, it was time to take matters into his own hands, whether he took permission or not because who knows, Bethany might still want them to wait it out like mature adults.The phone rang a few times before a woman’s voice answered, sounding almost too cheerful for this early in the day.“Hello?” she said, her voice bright and eager, almost like she knew who it was that is calling her.Maybe she does, and has been expecting this call for quite a while.“Hi, this is Arthur Worth,” Arthur replied, trying to keep his voice calm and steady. “I wanted to know if you’d be available for lunch today. I need to discuss something important with you ma’am.”There was a brief pause, then a spectacular rush of excitement in her tone. “Of course, Mr. Worth! I’d love to, it’ll be my absolute pleasure. When a
Bethany Worth stood firm above him as she retreats her face, watching as Trevor doubles over in pain from the sharp kick she had delivered to his groin. His face contorting in agony as he crumpled to the ground, clutching himself in the lower part. He had used that same part of his body t hurt Quinn.She kicks him in the face again.For some reason, she is still not sated. He had used that part of him to hurt Quinn, a seventeen year old girl and then had the guts from wherever the fuck he had gotten them from, to come visit her in the hospital with a bouquet of flowers…The satisfaction she ought to get from seeing him so helpless after what he had done to Quinn, she ought to be filled with a sense of triumph she has not felt in a long time but the feeling is still missing.Maybe one more kick will do it.Raising the back of her heels, the pointy part, she places it inconspicuously on his curled toe.He yells all over again but Bethany does not remove the heel from his leg, a small sm
John looks around, agitatedly at all the people around him, gaping silently.Only Marsh seems to find it amusing though as Halloway finds his way out of the interrogating room, no doubt back to the other side of the two way mirror.John lowers his head as he silences the call. The same number had called him some few days before, asking him to come over to the police station. He had obliged and done so, but now, in a bid to save Daisy from getting unjustly accused, he has waddled almost willingly into his own trouble."I think we have to start over, go back and begin again from the start now, Mr. Worth. You said you did not know Sienna until those few days before when she called your wife and revealed herself as your estranged daughter. How about you start from the point you cheated? Who is her mother? Because sadly, we need to let her family know that she is no more."John hangs his head as he mutters almost inaudibly. "Her mother is dead. I don't know if she has any families left, ex