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
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 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
“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’
"There is absolutely nothing you this bitch can do appropriately!" Quinn yells as she flings the steaming mug of coffee away from her.The hot liquid spills sideways and scalds Bethany who jumps back but it's a little too late as the bulk of it had landed on the back of her hand. She immediately turns to get it under some cold water but she's immediately stopped by Quinn's incredulous gasp."You want to walk out on me?" She half yells shrilly so as to attract attention from the rest of the family. "Just because I politely told you that the coffee is too bitter, you want to walk out on me?" Her voice takes on a slight faltering to show that it's filled with emotions.Fake emotions.Bethany immediately shakes her head. "Of course not, the hot coffee spilled on me and I'm going to wash it off..."There's a clatter of footsteps behind her and Bethany turns around to see Daisy and John Worth, her in-laws, as they come downstairs to see what all the commotion is all about."Mum... Dad..." Q
Around one twelve am in the very early hours of the morning, Bethany gets home and unlocks the door with her own key.She lives in a two storey building with her husband and their room is on the first floor so she's quite aware that knocking or even banging on the door in that situation will do her no good, most especially when he sounded really tired on the phone earlier. He should be dead asleep so she plans to just crawl into bed as well and sleep, she's just as exhausted as he probably is anyway.The first thing she noticed when she came inside was the amount of lights left switched on, even down till the kitchen where he never enters except to fill himself a glass of water, and even that is pretty rare.Then the dining room, the living room and the staircase lights.The light for the staircase most especially, because the switch was upstairs, so at the top of the stairs, headed into the room, the lights will easily be turned off and he never missed doing that.He never missed doi
Bethany's jaw literally falls open. "Wha..."Just then, there is a ruffle of footsteps and noises at the door and within seconds, the door is ajar with about five people standing right there by the door.Quinn comes in first, launching herself happily into Charles's arms. Laughing, he catches and twirls her around before hugging her. "Hey lil sis, how are you?""I'm fine. Hi Alexa." She greets her and completely ignores Bethany.Daisy, John and their driver come in next, the driver bearing a basket hamper covered with shiny wrapping paper and finally, a tall and handsome man comes inside last, looking around him and then his eyes comes to rest on Bethany.They lock eyes for a split second before she looks away, shaking her head vigorously.He must be the important guest they have been expecting, who is he exactly?But this is not the time to ponder about that. Bethany steps forward, cutting all of the greetings that didn't include her short. "Thank goodness you all are here now. We h
Arthur sits in the darkness, watching the slow and steady rhythm of her chest as she breathes in and out.He doesn't even know this woman but something about her is tugging deeply on his heartstrings.Nobody, absolutely no one deserves to be treated as such trash. Daisy had said it herself that Charles's wife had cleaned their own house and this strange woman herself had said she got home by midnight to meet another woman in her own husband's bed... And even worse, much much worse, they have been married for over a year.The woman sighs softly and lays down on her side, deep asleep.That makes him wonder when last she has had such good sleep for her own body to shut down on her.Arthur rises up from the chair and walks over to her, crouching by the bed, he raises his hand and puts it over her face, not touching it but just tracing out the outlining of her face.Her curved jaw and sharp nose, with those curled eyelashes that look luxurious and her...She suddenly opens her eyes with h
“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
“You know,” Marsh begins, his tone shifting to something more serious, “for a man who just lost his daughter, you seem remarkably calm.”John Worth feels the room grow cold around him. His heart pounds hard in his chest as Marsh’s words echo in his ears. He freezes, unable to look at anyone, especially not Daisy, whose presence beside him feels like an unbearable weight. Even she can’t raise her head and look him in the eyes, her lips thinning guiltily.Marsh leans forward, his expression sharp and expectant. “So, Mr. Worth,” he says slowly, “care to explain your relationship with Sienna in clearer terms? It seems there’s more you haven’t told us, to find the one who murdered your daughter, we will need the truth… Unless you don’t want us to find out who the killer really is.”John glances at Daisy, whose gaze remains firmly fixed on the floor and her twirling fingers. She hasn’t cried, but her eyes are wet, her silence louder than any accusation.Guilt gnaws at him, but he can’t find