Meanwhile, from the moment she heard Alva's words, Freya kept calling back her number, but each time, the call went straight to voicemail. Panic clawed at her chest as she paced back and forth, clutching her phone. Her hands trembled, and regret filled her heart. She wished she hadn’t lied to Alva about having a rich boyfriend. If someone like that truly existed, maybe he could have helped her now. Desperation made her thoughts turn to Jonas. Her eyes widened as a glimmer of hope flickered in her mind. "Yes! No matter what kind of man he is, it’s his child. He wouldn’t let them kill his baby." Without wasting another second, Freya left the car dealership where she was about to acquire a new car for herself and hailed a cab to Jonas' company; Stanford Group. When she arrived at the sleek glass entrance, she hesitated, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "How am I supposed to convince the receptionist to let me see him?" She glanced around, unsure of her next move, when her ey
Just as Jonas carefully lifted Alva into his arms, Freya following closely behind, Spear stormed out of the house. His face was twisted with anger, and his voice was sharp as he yelled, “Hey! Where are you taking my sister? Put her down and mind your own business!” Jonas turned slowly, his gaze icy. He recognized Spear as the one who had appeared at the balcony the moment Alva jumped, and figured out that she must have been running from him. As Spear approached, reaching out to grab Alva, Jonas’s patience snapped. Without hesitation, he lifted his foot and delivered a powerful kick to Spear’s chest. Spear stumbled backward and hit the ground with a grunt while Jonas continued to his car. At that moment, Tiril, Alva’s adoptive mother, rushed out of the house. Seeing Spear rise angrily, ready to fight Jonas, she grabbed his arm, holding him back. Her expression shifted as she got a good look at the man holding Alva. Her grip on Spear tightened. “Spear, stop!” she hissed. “Do you
Jonas walked back into the room and sat down beside Alva's bed. She was awake now, her eyes narrowing the moment she saw him. “Listen to me, Jonas Stanford,” she said through gritted teeth, her voice low but full of venom. Jonas raised an eyebrow. “Why are you so angry? I saved your life.” “You may have saved me,” she replied, her tone sharp, “but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a monster. I loathe you.” He chuckled softly, leaning back in his chair. “Your act would be more convincing if you hated my money too.” Her brows furrowed. “What?” Before she could say more, Freya, who had been pacing nervously in the corner, stopped in her tracks and coughed. Guilt flashed across her face. Without a word, she turned toward the door, intending to slip away unnoticed. Alva shifted, attempting to sit up, but Jonas stood abruptly and leaned over, scooping her up into his arms. “What do you think you’re doing?” she yelled, struggling against him. “Put me down, right now!”
MARIANNE I stepped on my brake pedal and gave myself a minute to catch my breath. My hands were shivering and I felt chilled to the bone. I still could not believe what I had just seen. I opened my phone and watched for the umpteenth time, the pornographic video that had been sent to me anonymously. My husband of almost two years was in bed, having sex with a woman that wasn't me. His face was revealed in the video, while hers was concealed. The only thing I could make of the woman was her slender wrist and the gold bracelet around it. It seemed oddly familiar but I could not remember where I had seen it. For two years, I believed my marriage was the best in the world because my husband, Tony adored me and worshipped the ground I walked on. I was the richest woman in the city and my company, RAY INDUSTRIES was the number one in the country, yet, my happiest moments were the ones spent with my husband. That was how much I loved him. How could he betray my trust? Hands still
MARIANNE At the police station, I was cuffed and kept in a dimly lit room with four chairs, one table, and a window. I was exhausted and my eyes were puffy from crying. Even though Tony cheated on me, he was the love of my life and I could not believe he was no more. In a flash, I had become a widow; the youngest I knew because I had just turned twenty, a month ago. The three policemen sat in front of me, questioning me as though I were a common criminal. "Don't you know who I am?" I asked. "I own foundations, charity organizations, and free hospitals. I help people, not hurt them. No matter what, I could never murder a man I loved with my life." "Stop beating around the bush and answer the damn question!" One of the policemen yelled at me, slapping his palms on the table. I didn't have to be a police officer or a lawyer to know that what the men were doing was not standard procedure. They were biased toward me and I had no idea why. "I won't speak any more until my lawy
MARIANNE I sighed in relief as I thanked Britney repeatedly. "There's no need to thank me," she expressed. "You are my best friend and I will do anything for you." The next morning, just as my lawyer had promised, I was arraigned before a judge. I had been restless throughout the night as it was my first time being in a cell. I tried not to cry because I knew it wouldn't help my situation. I convinced myself that I was just unfortunate. I never should have married Tony. After the judge questioned me, I took a plea of not guilty. My attorney didn't seem pleased by that but I didn't care. No one was going to make me admit to something I never did. Since it was my first appearance, I expected that I would be granted bail and allowed to show up in court from the comfort of my home during the preliminary hearings. I planned to get the best lawyer for myself once I was released on bail and got access to my phone. However, nothing like that happened. The judge allowed a ten minutes re
MARIANNE Everything felt like a dream. Just like that, I had been condemned for something I never did. My only crime was being too kind and trusting the wrong people. As I was being transported by ship along with a few other prisoners, the judge's words echoed in my ears, "This court finds the accused; Mrs. Tony, guilty of first-degree murder and sentences her to life imprisonment with hard labor in the Norwegian Island Prison. I recalled the triumphant look on Britney's face as I was being taken away and could not understand what I ever did wrong to her. When I met her so many years ago, I had just finished high school. Being the daughter of the richest man in the city, I lived in affluence as opposed to her who was struggling to get by. I saw her working as a waiter at a party and took her side when a guest treated her disrespectfully. We got close from that night and I got to find out that she had no family. She was an orphan who had to work from a very young age just to
MARIANNE If it weren't for the date and time stamp on the video, I would have thought Paula was lying to me. As I watched the video, everything began to piece together in my head. I recalled when Tony had first approached me for a relationship. I had refused his advances, especially since I had just clocked eighteen, but Britney kept encouraging me to give him a chance, claiming we were perfect for each other and would be together forever. Back then, I was amazed at how Tony and I had the same tastes, interests, and even fashion sense. I believed he was truly destined for me. Only after Paula's revelation did I realize that Britney had planted him in my life and told him about my likes and dislikes. No wonder he seemed so perfect in my eyes and I ended up falling in love with him. They deceived me for so long and plotted my downfall. The false testimonies from my secretary and Tony's sister finally made more sense to me. I felt so much anger surge within me and a deep year
Jonas walked back into the room and sat down beside Alva's bed. She was awake now, her eyes narrowing the moment she saw him. “Listen to me, Jonas Stanford,” she said through gritted teeth, her voice low but full of venom. Jonas raised an eyebrow. “Why are you so angry? I saved your life.” “You may have saved me,” she replied, her tone sharp, “but that doesn’t change the fact that you’re a monster. I loathe you.” He chuckled softly, leaning back in his chair. “Your act would be more convincing if you hated my money too.” Her brows furrowed. “What?” Before she could say more, Freya, who had been pacing nervously in the corner, stopped in her tracks and coughed. Guilt flashed across her face. Without a word, she turned toward the door, intending to slip away unnoticed. Alva shifted, attempting to sit up, but Jonas stood abruptly and leaned over, scooping her up into his arms. “What do you think you’re doing?” she yelled, struggling against him. “Put me down, right now!”
Just as Jonas carefully lifted Alva into his arms, Freya following closely behind, Spear stormed out of the house. His face was twisted with anger, and his voice was sharp as he yelled, “Hey! Where are you taking my sister? Put her down and mind your own business!” Jonas turned slowly, his gaze icy. He recognized Spear as the one who had appeared at the balcony the moment Alva jumped, and figured out that she must have been running from him. As Spear approached, reaching out to grab Alva, Jonas’s patience snapped. Without hesitation, he lifted his foot and delivered a powerful kick to Spear’s chest. Spear stumbled backward and hit the ground with a grunt while Jonas continued to his car. At that moment, Tiril, Alva’s adoptive mother, rushed out of the house. Seeing Spear rise angrily, ready to fight Jonas, she grabbed his arm, holding him back. Her expression shifted as she got a good look at the man holding Alva. Her grip on Spear tightened. “Spear, stop!” she hissed. “Do you
Meanwhile, from the moment she heard Alva's words, Freya kept calling back her number, but each time, the call went straight to voicemail. Panic clawed at her chest as she paced back and forth, clutching her phone. Her hands trembled, and regret filled her heart. She wished she hadn’t lied to Alva about having a rich boyfriend. If someone like that truly existed, maybe he could have helped her now. Desperation made her thoughts turn to Jonas. Her eyes widened as a glimmer of hope flickered in her mind. "Yes! No matter what kind of man he is, it’s his child. He wouldn’t let them kill his baby." Without wasting another second, Freya left the car dealership where she was about to acquire a new car for herself and hailed a cab to Jonas' company; Stanford Group. When she arrived at the sleek glass entrance, she hesitated, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "How am I supposed to convince the receptionist to let me see him?" She glanced around, unsure of her next move, when her ey
Alva glared at Jonas, her voice trembling with rage and disgust. “You wish! Why would I ever carry a child for someone as vile as you, Jonas Stanford? I hate you more than anything in this world. I’d rather die than bear your child!” Jonas’s face darkened, his expression turning ice-cold. His voice was sharp as a knife. “Then go die.” Without another word, he turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing like a drumbeat of rejection. Alva stood frozen, her chest heaving with anger. She clenched her fists, trying to steady her breathing. Her vision blurred with tears she refused to let fall. Just as she was about to leave, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, her mother’s name flashing on the screen. She stared at it, hesitating. Her fingers hovered over the reject button, but the phone kept ringing. Her mother didn’t give up, and when Alva didn’t answer, a text came through. "Don’t you want to know about your birth parents?" The words hit her like a jolt of
Freya quickly made a phone call, and as she had promised, Alva was offered a job and asked to report for work the very next day. "I still can’t believe it—I actually got a job! Thank you so much, Freya," Alva said, her face lighting up with excitement. "You’re welcome," Freya replied, smiling. "And the good thing is, this place pays weekly, so you won’t have to wait too long to get your money." "That’s great, but it doesn’t matter much to me," Alva said. "I’m not planning to spend the money—I’ll save every bit of it." When Alva arrived at the supermarket, she was amazed at how luxurious it was. "Freya’s boyfriend must be incredibly wealthy," she thought. "If he can bring her to such a high-end place, he must have more money than I imagined." As she reported for her first day, Alva realized that a different manager was on seat and the latter stared at her with an air of disdain. Alva tried to brush off the unease she felt, smiling politely. She regretted not wearing one o
Freya smiled warmly at Alva and said, "Come on, have you forgotten how you’ve been cooped up at home all this time? Ever since you lost your Granny, you haven’t really been yourself. How could I have introduced you to him then?" Alva nodded slowly, her eyes thoughtful. "You’re right. But now, I really want to meet him, okay?" Freya grinned. "Okay. He’s really busy, but I’ll talk to him. Of course, he’ll make time to meet my best friend." As they sat in the cab heading back home, Freya turned to Alva, her face lighting up. "You know, Lance promised to buy me a car soon." Alva’s eyes widened in surprise. "Really? That’s amazing!" Freya nodded, clearly excited. "Yeah, he said it could be any day now. I can’t wait!" "You’re so lucky," Alva said, a hint of awe in her voice. Freya beamed. "I feel like all my dreams are finally coming true. Oh, and guess what? Lance also said he wants to send me to college. What do you think? We could go together—he’ll take care of everything
After Pete left her alone in the room, Alva struggled against the ropes binding her hands, twisting and pulling with all her strength. The coarse material bit into her skin, leaving red marks, but she couldn’t free herself. Tears welled up in her eyes, frustration and anger bubbling inside her. The door creaked open, and Pete entered, accompanied by a group of maids. Alva’s heart sank as she watched him approach with an infuriatingly smug expression. He walked over and untied her hands. “Here you go,” he said, gesturing to the maids. “These are the women who will be at your beck and call.” Alva glanced at the group of over twelve maids and rolled her eyes. "As if I need all this fuss," she thought bitterly. “And,” Pete continued, “there are also ten bodyguards assigned to you. They’ll keep an eye on you, so don’t try anything funny. You wouldn’t want to get hurt, would you?” He turned to one of the maids and ordered, “Make sure she eats. She looks too pale—it’s making me lose my
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Alva remained at home, crying harder than she ever had in her entire life. Her Granny had been her entire world—the only person she truly considered family, the only one who had ever shown her unconditional love. Her mother and brother? They couldn’t have cared less about her, and she knew it deep in her soul. While Alva grieved, her best friend Freya was out shopping, spending the money from Jonas’s card. Freya bought everything her heart desired—clothes, furniture, and even a house. Each time Freya spent the money, Jonas received an alert. Every time his phone buzzed, he shook his head, muttering to himself. "I’ll wait and see what she does when the money runs out." Freya purchased a new house for her parents and even bought herself a smaller, beautiful home. Despite her spending spree, Freya made time to check on Alva. She called, visited, and tried to comfort her grieving friend. But Freya never told Alva the truth about the card.
After hiding the card, Freya returned to the room and knocked softly on the door. Alva, who had just finished drying herself and putting on the dress Freya had brought, opened the door. Her eyes were still red and swollen from crying. Freya stepped inside, trying to keep her expression calm. "What happened?" Alva asked, her voice shaky. "Did you return the card?" Freya nodded quickly, forcing a reassuring smile. "Yes, I gave it to the staff at the counter. They said they’ll contact him immediately." "Good," Alva muttered, her fists clenching at her sides. "He can take his dirty money and go to hell." Freya reached out and touched her arm gently. "Come on, let’s get out of here." Just as they turned toward the door, it suddenly burst open, and Diego stormed in, his face twisted with anger. "Well, well, well. Look who we have here," Diego sneered, his eyes narrowing at Alva. "You call me names, act like you’re chaste, and then run straight into another man’s bed. You’re no