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
Outside the tall medical building, John gives a small whoop as he calls his driver to come pick him up out front.He turns around and admires the glowing name out front. "Who would have known he was such a chill person?" He mutters to himself. His phone vibrates in his pocket and he picks it out."Hello?""How did it go?" The caller asks immediately, slight excitement in the voice."It went really well. With all of the rumors about how wicked and cruel he can be, he was actually pretty cool headed with me.""That's exciting news. So where are you headed now?""I don't have plans, how about we meet over some food, and then I can go shopping for the missus with your help.""You know I could never turn you down even when you bring up your wife."John rolls his eyes, a lilting smile on his lips. "Come on, it's a happy day, don't be moody. Should we meet at Eclipse?""Give me an hour.""I'll be waiting." He hangs up just as the car comes around, his exuberance is visible to everyone that h
The next morning, Bethany joins them down at breakfast, a bit disgruntled. "You two are so against me. Why would you two make breakfast?"Arthur looks up while taking off the apron. "What breakfast?"Bethany cocks her head to the side. "Really?" She shakes her head in the direction of the apron that he only just discarded."Oh that? I was just helping to cut veggies."Martha rolls her eyes. "Fine then, if you're angry with being left out, help us set the table.""Finally, something to do."Martha and Arthur watch her go."She still hasn't gotten over feeling responsible for everything and every work that should be done?""I think that one will take a while. The first week of us living together, she woke up four am every morning without fail. She'd go cleaning, washing, mopping, makes breakfast and then I'll wake up to see all of that. I have staff to do all those things but she did it without fail.""Wow. That's as a result of...""When you do that for two to three years, it's bound t
Just as Gabriel leaves the office, closing the door behind him with a quiet click and then the call of doom, John slumps back in his chair.“The siblings played me. She certainly used Mason to do this to me. She used it to take revenge for her supposed hurt while with Charles. If she has some grudged against Charles, it is only mature to go after him, why did she use him to target me?” He keeps rambling on to himself, angry at everything including himself for not finding out about the duo’s relationship sooner.Before he can gather his thoughts, the phone on his desk rings again, startling him. Frowning, he picks it up, expecting another reminder about the bankruptcy proceedings. "Worth Construction…" He says flatly.“Mr. Worth, I presume?” A smooth voice replies on the other end.“Yes. Who’s this?” he asks, his interest piqued since it’s not a voice he has heard before.“Let’s just say I’m someone who can help you with your current situation,.” The man says, his tone slow and calm.J
The next morning meets John Worth slumped behind his medium large desk at Worth Construction. The office is quiet, weirdly so, and the usual hustle and bustle of staff has disappeared.The window blinds are drawn shut, casting long and dim shadows across the room, and the stale smell of coffee lingers in the air. His shirt is wrinkled, his shirts cuffs loosened, and his eyes are bloodshot, an obvious sign that he hasn’t left the office since the day before and did not have a good sleep or rest all through the night.He had barely slept.Not that he could anyway, with everything collapsing into shambles all around him.The papers sit untouched on his desk, the ones he is going to fill and have submitted to the company commission, filing for bankruptcy, their presence looming like a black cloud over his future.Campbell Hospital, the last lifeline of his company, had cheated them out of the project at the worst possible moment. No new contracts, no ongoing projects, nothing. And now, ba
In Campbell hospital, Arthur enters into the elevator alone, making sure the doors close before Charles can get on, Daisy just keeps her head down, not wanting to say anything to anyone and John stands a ways off form her, too ashamed to come too close.Inside the ICU, Bethany holds Quinn’s bruised hands and massages it gently, hoping to get the girl to sleep.As soon as the elevator pings open, Arthur stalks out of it, his fists so clenched that his knuckles are completely white.Daisy senses it first and looks up, seeing the look in his eyes, the eyes that are specifically trained on where John is standing. Down the hall, the staircase door opens and Charles bursts in, panting heavily.“Dad! Run!” he yells.John snaps into attention while Daisy jumps out to hold Arthur back.“Artur, don’t do this! Don’t make a scene here.”“You knew he cheated on you, you know he has a child outside, because the child herself called you. And here you are trying to protect him?”Daisy dives into the
Millicent Atkinson sits under the bright studio lights, adjusting her posture slightly as the cameras focuses on her. She is currently wearing a stunning emerald green dress that highlights her sharp features, and her signature blonde hair is neatly styled.The interviewer and talk show host, Sarah, smiles warmly at her from across the table.The screen behind them shows clips from the upcoming melodramatic movie, Broken Ties, where Millicent plays the lead role of Amanda, a lawyer navigating a complicated divorce case that mirrors her own past divorce."So, Millicent…" Sarah begins, a gleam of curiosity in her eyes, "Let’s dive into the movie. How did you get along with the staff and crew during filming? I know people can be a handful with beautiful people."Millicent gives a polite smile, smoothing out a non existent crease in her dress. "Oh, they were nothing less than fantastic and accommodating. The director, the cast, everyone was incredibly professional. We really felt like a f
Staring into the ward for a couple of minutes and tired of standing around, listening to his own thoughts, Charles steps out of the hospital, the cool afternoon air hitting him like a slap, a contrast from the slightly chilly one inside.The chaos inside his head has refused to settle.Daisy’s words echo relentlessly, over and over and over again… “Sure you won’t mind losing this one since you have another one out there!” Like a broken record, continues to repeat itself The truth rattles him to the core.Is it true? Or is it just another one of those female moments that they overreact?He digs his hand into his pocket and pulls a flask from his coat, taking a long swig of whiskey, but the familiar burn of the liquor does nothing to ease his nerves, the way it had been doing for months now. His mind spins, with the repeated words.He keeps trying to grasp the weight of what Daisy had said.Dad, has another child.It seems impossible, yet here he is, standing outside the hospital with n
In another part of town, Ana Yang adjusts the collar of her sleek black jacket as she strides through the large lobby of Unique Auditing. The walls glisten in the bright afternoon sun, reflecting her composed demeanor, but internally, she's furious.The notice from Campbell Conglomerate had been a shock. She’s never been dismissed so abruptly, and neither has the firm that she represents.It is a serious breach of etiquette.Procedures had to be followed but they completely ignored that, and Kevin had been out of reach for days.And now, it has come to her knowledge that all of her contacts in the company has been fired, just perfect.Her boss, a shadowy man with influence and tons of connections, had been calm when he summoned her earlier in the morning. His voice had the same cold precision as always, no hints of emotion as he gave his orders, but she knew him well enough to not make any mistakes when it comes to issues like these so she would rather take orders than act impulsively
Daisy rushes out of the room as if a fire has been lit in the room where she is supposed to be resting. Her body aches with exhaustion, but she barely notices. Her mind is completely focused on Quinn, her precious girl, who is now awake. Nothing else matters. She ignores the twinge in her limbs, the dizziness that still lingers from her collapse earlier and the truth she is still finding hard to grasp.She feels weaker than ever, but it’s as though it’s simply mother’s love that is carrying her forward. She runs past John who stands in the hall there, watching her.“Daisy, wait!” John calls after her, taking some steps forward, but the sound of his voice grates on her nerves, like the sound of fingernails being drawn on a chalkboard. He moves toward her, offering to help as she stumbles slightly in her haste, wobbling from side to side.“I said leave me alone!” Daisy yells, shooting him a look that could burn through steel. The fury in her eyes freezes John in his tracks. He stands th
The sound of footsteps echo in the entrance of the supposedly empty washroom as a random woman enters, heading toward the sink. She halts abruptly when she sees Daisy, collapsed on the floor, her body limp and motionless.For a moment, the woman freezes in shock, her hand flying to her mouth before she lets out a shrill scream.“Oh my God! Somebody, help! Please, someone help!” She shouts, her voice cracking as panic surges through her. She rushes to Daisy’s side, kneeling down and shaking her lightly but the unconscious woman does not budge, her phone on the floor by her head.“Ma’am? Ma’am, can you hear me?” Her hands tremble as she gently taps Daisy’s cheek, but there’s no response. Her breathing grows erratic, and she fumbles for her phone, her fingers trembling so much that she nearly drops it.She, obviously, is a very panicky woman.“Come on, come on…” She mutters under her breath, dialing the hospital’s emergency line with frantic urgency. As the phone rings, she glances down
Sienna’s phone vibrates on the table, the vibration cutting through the silence of the room. She glances down, her eyes settling on the message.He has sent the number.Daisy Worth’s number.“It’s finally here.” Her fingers tap the phone number, then it shows up in the call button. She just needs to dial now. All that can be ruined with one, single call.“This is it, this is all for you, Mum.”But just as she’s about to make the call, the phone lights up with another notification again, it’s a call. It’s a completely different number flashing across the screen. She stares at it for a moment, her breath catching in her throat, the feelings she had hidden for so long rearing at the surface.Grandma.Her heart tightens at the sight of the name. She hasn’t spoken to her grandmother in over three years. Not since she left Rewland, the small town that held her past. That held a life she had long since buried, doing all her possible best to fit into the city life, even getting read of that d