When my eyes open, I see that I'm in a hospital. There was a bandage around my shoulder but I was relieved that I was not bleeding again. Max was facing the window, he was on a call and when I grunted, he walked over to where I was.“He's awake now. Should I give him the phone?” He asked whoever was calling. He was silent for a second or two before placing the phone on my ear. “Your mother,” he said.“Spencer, are you okay? Max told me about everything that happened and I'm so worried about you,” she sobbed. Her voice cracked, an evidence that she was truly concerned about what happened to me.“Mom, I'm fine. The bullet just brushed my shoulder,” I replied.“Just brushed? That bitch shot you and you're here saying that it just brushed your shoulder. What if it didn't? I've spent so much time in silence that they think I'm still as miserable as I was before, I think it's time for me to return to LA city,’’ she said.I nearly exploded on hearing her. Returning to the city amidst this cr
** Collins ** There was chaos in the house. I could tell from how the environment was tense and awkward. I was angry at Tessa and in turn, old man Lee was angry at me. We met in the tea room to discuss. The servants poured out the tea but none of us touched it. The rage was too much to drink tea right now.“It was one simple task that was given to you to get done and you couldn't even do it. The deal here was to get rid of Spencer, not spare his life!” Old man Lee shouted at me.“This was all his fault. He cowered at the end and spared their lives,” Tessa said.“Mind you that hurting or killing my brother is something that I should be doing alone. I never asked you to do it for me,” I said to Tessa with gritted teeth.She rolled her eyes, “This is not a kid's game or whatever you think this is. There's a task to complete and the reward would get you millions of dollars but you chose to be a coward instead of fighting to get it done.”I clenched my fists in anger. My heart was burning
I wanted so much more…So much power, so much fame…And I still wanted the woman I loved …“Are you crazy, Collins? How dare you text me after everything that you've done to Spencer?” Miriam asked me as she walked into the coffee shop that I invited her to.“It's nice to see you again, Miriam,” I smiled at her.She rolled her eyes and sat down. “Whatever you're telling me, better be quick about it and don't expect any favors from me,” she snapped.I grinned widely. She was always acting tough, trying to seal her fear and emotion. I like her for that but I wanted her to be free and open with me. I have to make her understand that I'm not the bad person here. If I could just show her the brighter side of things, then she would realize that it is me that she needs. Miriam might be acting cool but I know that she's still greedy on some things.“Relax, stop acting feisty. It doesn't suit you at all. I called you here because I've missed you,” I said.Miriam scoffed. She glared at me so har
** Sydney **The night set in as Lydia and I returned from the hospital. I was already feeling better since no injuries were given to me and my baby was doing just fine. I didn't want to spend another day in the hospital especially since Spencer was trying to see me.“Will you be okay on your own?” Lydia asked.She has a night shift which is even an hour late to work. I don't want to be the cause of her problem with her work, so I simply nodded.“Yes, don't worry about me,” I mumbled.“There's already food in the kitchen in case you are hungry and don't stay up too late,” Lydia advised.I nodded my head. She has always been caring towards me and I loved her for that. The best thing to do was to allow her to go to work and not get her into trouble with her boss. She has already sacrificed a lot to be with me here.“You can go now, Lydia. I will be fine on my own,” I said reassuringly to her.She looked at me closely, probably to be sure that I was indeed fine before she left for work.
Sweet trails of kisses wake me up from my deep sleep. I stirred up in bed and opened my eyes slowly. Spencer kissed my lips briefly and smiled at me.“Good morning, my love,” he greeted sweetly.“Acting sweet really suits you a lot,” I said and he chuckled.“Better get used to it. Meanwhile, I ordered some foodstuff while you were still sleeping,’’ he informed me.I pouted like a child, “I don't have the strength to prepare a meal right now.”“You have to stress yourself or my baby. Few weeks of attending a cooking class when I was in my early twenties is going to pay off,” he replied.“Really? You are going to make breakfast for me?” I asked excitedly.He nodded and got up from the bed. “You can come and watch me.”I giggled and joined him in the kitchen, helping him out to prepare a lemonade for our meal. However, it wasn't long until I heard Lydia calling my name.“Sydney, where are you? Oh …” she said. The last part slipped out when she saw Spencer, who was wearing an apron and co
** Alan ** I found myself on the outskirts of the city on my long run away from Aiden and his stupid family. I can't believe that I was busted but it didn't matter, as long as I got what I wanted and that was the pain that Andrea Talker had to face instead of me. I could imagine the fear in me when Max and his security team were interrogating us. The way I was calm and pulled it off was something that I was proud of myself for doing. I hated this place where I was, it stank of poverty and dirt. Back to the reason why I was here. I needed a motel, where I could stay for a few days or more. I also needed to contact Collins and this place lacked the internet connection that was needed for that. I groaned in anger and frustration. All I wanted was to get rid of Aiden and render his family useless. Over the years, The Talkers took Andrea and her family as the head of the family because my parents were murdered in a car accident. I knew that it was none other than Andrea who must hav
I don't know if bringing Morgan to the city with me was a good idea but I would feel a pang of guilt if I had left her in that miserable town where she worked in that dirty bar with thugs and drunk men. I don't know why I felt suddenly attached to her. She has a charisma that I can't resist no matter how hard I try and this is someone whom I barely know up to twenty-four hours. In my mind, I hoped that this decision that I was making was the right thing and not a mistake. "So who is the one who took away your happiness?" Morgan asked all of a sudden. "His name is Aiden, he is my cousin. My parents were going to inherit the family's company when our grandfather died but his mother, Andrea, did her dirty job successfully. She killed my parents and covered it up as a fatal accident. I lost my parents and instead of mourning them alongside me, Andrea went ahead to take over the company with her son. Ever since then, I've vowed to take back what belonged to me. I never had the chance
** Aiden ** My joy knew no bounds when I got the hospital and saw that my mother was looking healthy and fine. The deep severe injuries that I saw were healed and bandaged neatly so they could close up. "I'm glad that you are okay," I told her when she looked up at me. "It still hurts bad but I'm relieved that it's getting healed up," she said to me and I nodded. "Hold on, I will talk to the doctor and we'll process the documents for your discharge," I said and left. Heather was standing at the door to her room, waiting for me to come out. "How's she doing now?" he asked me. "Her health has improved and I'm proud of how strong she has been in enduring the painful medications," I muttered. "I'm sorry that it had to be that way for her. Spencer really took it that far," Heather muttered. I nodded and my head but did not reply to him. I was still in rage for what Spencer had done to my mother , putting her though such an emotional breakdown was not acceptable by me. W
** Sydney ** The day had finally arrived. The warm sunlight streamed through the tall windows of the bridal suite, casting a soft glow over everything it touched. I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection in awe. The white dress I wore was a dream, elegant and simple, yet breathtaking in its detail. The lace sleeves hugged my arms, and the fabric flowed down like a waterfall, pooling gently at my feet. I could hardly believe it was me. I couldn’t help but smile, my heart fluttering with excitement. Today was the day I would marry Spencer—the man who had walked into my life at a time when I needed him the most, and the man I had grown to love more than I ever thought possible. The past few months had been a whirlwind, but in that moment, nothing else mattered. It was just us. There was a knock at the door, and Lydia, my best friend and now my maid of honor, peeked her head in. “You ready?” she asked with a grin. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said, my voice shaking sli
Elizabeth was sitting calmly in the living room, her legs were crossed and I could feel the elegance as it emanated from her calmness. My heartbeat was louder than the sound that came from the movie that she was watching in the television."Mom, you're here," Spencer said to get her attention.She turned around and smiled at him, when she looked at me, she maintained a mild expression before looking back at her son. "Yes, Spencer. I was bored at my place so I decided to come over and see you and Sydney," she replied to him.Spencer ordered a tray of fruits for his mom while we settled down to keep her company."You are looking healthy, Sydney," she complimented me."Thank you," I said with nervousness. I felt like my nervous system was going to break down any minute from now."Spencer, can you spare me twenty minutes of a private moment with Sydney?" Elizabeth asked her son.Spencer nodded and stood up, "Okay."As soon as he left, my heart sank further because I thought that Elizabeth
** Sydney**I felt his touch on my hair and earlobe and neck, his hands were all over my face but his touch was gentle, sweet and arousing. I stirred my eyes open slowly, I didn't want to wake up in the first place because the last few events have been exhausting for me.Learning the truth in the most painful manner was exhausting enough for me, I was glad that I was done with the Talker's family although it was not yet official. Aiden had really used my heart and broken it into a million pieces but in the darkest of hearts, I have found Spencer and he was willing to be my ride or die for life and nothing was going to change that forever."Good morning, sleepy head," Spencer murmured in my eyes and I giggled, that sweet feeling of being a loved woman has returned to me again."Spencer, why are you disturbing I and the baby so early in the morning?" I asked, pretending to be angry at him.He kissed my forehead and then my baby bump that was more visible now, we were almost at sixteen w
** Sydney ** I had thought about it for days before deciding to make the trip to see Joyceline. Part of me had wanted to avoid her altogether, to leave everything she had done in the past where it belonged—behind me. But there was another part, the part that needed closure, that needed to confront her, not out of anger or vengeance, but to finally put everything to rest. The drive to the jail was long, giving me too much time to think. As I parked the car and walked inside, my heart beat steadily in my chest, though I wasn’t sure if it was from nerves or resolve. It felt surreal, walking into this place, knowing that the woman who had once been my friend had turned against me in such a cruel way. They led me through the dimly lit hallways to a small room, separated by a pane of glass. Joyceline would be brought in soon, and I would finally face her. I sat down on the cold metal chair, my fingers tapping lightly on the surface of the table as I waited. When she entered, escorted by
** Sydney ** The pen trembled slightly in my hand as I hovered over the final line of the divorce papers. It was surreal to think that after everything, it was finally coming to an end. My marriage to Aiden—the lies, the manipulation, the deceit—was all about to be over with one stroke of a pen. I let out a deep breath and pressed the ink down, signing my name for the last time as his wife. It was done. I was free. I sat back in my chair, feeling both a weight lift off my chest and a strange emptiness settle in its place. It wasn’t like I was sad to see Aiden go. In fact, I was relieved. But the reality of it all—how much I had endured, how much I had fought for, only to end up here—left me feeling raw, exposed. “You alright?” Spencer’s voice cut through my thoughts, gentle but concerned. He was sitting across from me, his eyes soft as he watched me. I nodded, giving him a small smile. “Yeah. It’s just… surreal.” He reached across the table and took my hand, giving it a comfortin
** Spencer ** “Sydney, we need to talk about this now,” I said. She nodded, biting her lip as she tried to hold back more tears. “I just… I don’t know what to do or say now.” I gently took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “You’ll figure it out, Sydney. You’re strong. And whatever you decide, I’ll be here for you. Always.” She looked up at me, her eyes filled with gratitude, and for a moment, the tension in the room lifted. We sat there in silence, just the two of us, and for the first time in a long time, I felt like maybe—just maybe—things would be okay again. I stayed close to Sydney, watching as the emotions played across her face. Her eyes, once filled with hurt and confusion, softened slightly as the reality of everything settled in. I could see the exhaustion in her, both from the ordeal with Aiden and the emotional rollercoaster she’d been on ever since he came back into her life. For a moment, I didn’t know what else to say. I just held her hand, letting the sil
Spencer’s POV I lost track of time after they took Sydney in. The sterile hospital walls felt like they were closing in, and the ticking of the clock in the waiting room was deafening. I kept pacing, back and forth, my mind racing with worst-case scenarios. What if the drug Joyceline gave her had lasting effects? What if the baby was harmed? Every minute felt like a lifetime. Max had come by earlier, sitting with me for a bit before he had to head out. His presence had been grounding, but now I was alone, back to circling the room. The nurses occasionally gave me sympathetic looks, but none of them had any answers. I ran my hands through my hair for what felt like the hundredth time. I couldn’t lose her. Not now. Not after everything. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the door to the waiting room swung open. I spun around, my heart pounding as the doctor walked in, clipboard in hand. I rushed up to him before he could even say a word. “How is she? Is Sydney okay? And the bab
**Spencer** The tension in the police van was palpable, the hum of the engine the only sound breaking the silence as we raced toward the location Collins had texted me. My hands were clenched tight, knuckles white from the grip I had on my phone. The moment the message had come through, I knew this was it—this was where Joyceline was holding Sydney. A sense of dread had been eating at me ever since I found out what Joyceline had planned. I should have seen it coming. After all, she was never one to back down, especially not when it came to getting what she wanted. But this… this was insane, even for her. I glanced at the police officers sitting beside me, their faces grim and focused. They had been briefed, and they knew how delicate this situation was. Sydney was pregnant, and any wrong move could not only endanger her but also the baby. The head of the task force, Officer Richards, looked over at me. “We’re almost there. Stay calm, Martin. We’ll handle this.” I nodded, swallowin
** Sydney ** I sat at the café, stirring the spoon in my coffee absentmindedly. The tension in my stomach hadn’t eased since Joyceline had called. I glanced at the door every few seconds, scanning each new arrival. My nerves were on high alert, and it didn’t help that Joyceline had always been good at getting under my skin. I tried to recall the last time we had spoken before everything exploded. She was the person I trusted with everything, my best friend—or at least, she had been before the betrayal. And now, here I was, waiting for her as if things hadn’t completely fallen apart. The door chimed, and in walked Joyceline. She wore her signature smirk, her eyes scanning the café until they landed on me. Her outfit was immaculate as always—a designer coat draped over her shoulders, her heels clicking as she walked confidently toward my table. Nothing about her seemed different on the surface, yet there was something in her eyes… something I couldn’t quite place. “Sydney,” she gree