** Sydney** I stood on the balcony of my room, looking outside at the clear sky and sun as it shone bright this morning. My hands subconsciously rubbed my belly bump that was becoming visible as each day passed by. My mind was zoned out on the various events that had just happened in the past few weeks. The whole new experience I had when I was with Spencer and how it died down pretty quickly unlike how I expected it to be. My thoughts were randomly thinking of how strong I have been while going through the drama of being involved with Spencer Martins. The love I felt we shared - was it even real? Or was it just an infatuation? Was I too desperate or scared of being alone that I couldn't even shed a little bit of hope of restoring my marriage? Now look at me here, back with my Aiden and his family because no matter how far I run, I would still come back to Aiden's arms. That was the power of destiny and this was how it wanted its game to go. I only played along to it and probably
Finally, after Aiden let me go, I decided to go to Spencer's workplace and drop my resignation letter on his desk. I know that he is currently in the hospital which was the best opportunity to do this, but I didn't want to leave his company like that. Even though I was with Aiden now, the royalty shares of my work were important to me. It should be hard work paid off. "Are you going to somewhere?" Aiden asked when he noticed how dressed up I was. I nodded, deciding to tell him the truth in case he intended to send someone to monitor my movements today. "I'm going to Spencer's company," I replied. "Why?" "I want to drop my resignation letter on his desk. Whenever Spencer is back from the hospital, he will see it," I said. "It is really important to do that. He already knows that you are going to quit your work," Aiden said. "He doesn't know that Aiden, and this is the best way to confirm that I'm done with work," I said trying to sound convincing to him. I didn't want to tell
My heart was pounding fast as I arrived at the hospital where Spencer was. I was scared too, what if he didn't want to see my face again? I stood in front of his room for some minutes before summoning the courage to knock slightly before opening the door to enter inside. He was lying down with his eyes closed but as soon as I closed the doors, Spencer opened his eyes to see who the visitor was. He tried to sit up when he saw me and l helped him to relax properly. "How are you feeling now?" I asked him. He snorted harshly, "Do you care about how I'm feeling?" "Spencer, I just came here to know how you are. Please, don't make it any more difficult for me than it is now," I said to him. Trying to suppress every emotional breakdown that was inside me, I kept staring at my hands. My palms were already sweating profusely as I was rubbing them both constantly. "You look pretty today," he said instead. "Thank you," I replied. "Why did you do that?" He asked suddenly. "What?" I was s
** Collins ** I tapped my fingers against the smooth surface of the café table, watching the door like a predator stalking prey. Miriam was late, as usual, but I didn’t mind. It gave me time to think—plan. Every move had to be calculated. With Sydney in the picture, my goal wasn’t simple anymore. She was a puzzle that couldn’t be solved with brute force or charm alone. Miriam finally walked in, her sharp heels clicking against the tile floor. Her eyes scanned the café before landing on me, her expression guarded as always. She wore her typical look of cool detachment, but I knew better. Beneath that icy exterior, she was desperate. She wanted Spencer, and that made her useful to me. “Miriam,” I greeted, standing up and gesturing for her to sit. She slid into the seat across from me, crossing her legs as if she wasn’t in a hurry. But I could feel the tension in the air. The desperation. “You wanted to talk,” she said, voice flat but curious. I leaned forward, lowering my voice. “I
** Collins ** I left the café with a satisfied smirk, replaying the conversation with Joyceline in my head. Sydney was as good as mine, and now, with Miriam and Joyceline both invested in their own little games, I had more leverage than I’d expected. All I needed now was to consolidate the plan—and for that, I had to meet with the others. When I got back to the estate, the old family house loomed over me like a dark reminder of what I was up against. The lights inside flickered warmly, but the air around it felt cold, heavy with the weight of generations of deals and betrayals. This place always made me feel both powerful and trapped at the same time. I pushed open the door and stepped inside. Tessa was the first to greet me, lounging on the grand couch with a book in hand, though she barely glanced at the pages. She dropped it as soon as she saw me, her gaze sharp. “How did it go?” she asked. I shrugged out of my jacket, tossing it onto the armrest. “Better than expected.” Tessa
** Spencer ** The ride back from the hospital was quieter than usual. My mom, Elizabeth, sat beside me, her hands folded neatly in her lap, her expression calm but distant. Max, my best friend, drove in silence, occasionally glancing in the rearview mirror at the two of us, his brow furrowed with concern. He knew I wasn’t in the mood to talk, and to be honest, neither was I. The doctor’s words still rang in my ears, but I tried to push them to the back of my mind. “You doing okay, Spence?” Max asked after a long stretch of silence, his voice low, almost tentative. I nodded, though I didn’t feel okay. I wasn’t sure how to feel. “Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied. Elizabeth placed her hand on mine, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Everything’s going to be alright, Spencer. You’re strong. We’ll get through this.” I glanced over at her, her pale blue eyes meeting mine with a softness that always managed to make me feel a little better, even when everything else was falling apart. She had been t
The sound of my phone buzzing on the table pulled me out of the silence. I glanced down, seeing Collins’ name flash across the screen. My jaw tightened. I wasn’t in the mood for whatever scheme he was cooking up, especially after everything with Miriam. I debated ignoring it, letting it go to voicemail, but something in me—the part that knew Collins too well—compelled me to answer. “Yeah?” I said, my voice clipped. “Spencer,” Collins’ voice came through smoothly, as always. “I need to meet with you. It’s important.” “Important for who? You or me?” I leaned back in my chair, the tension already creeping into my shoulders. “Both,” Collins said, his tone carrying that familiar cockiness. “I wouldn’t waste your time otherwise.” I sighed, running a hand through my hair. This was going to be a headache. “Fine. Where?” “There’s a bar downtown, Mason’s. I’ll see you there in an hour.” He hung up before I could respond, leaving me staring at the phone. I rubbed my temple, feeling the we
I’d been driving for what felt like hours, but in reality, it was only thirty minutes since I left my meeting with Collins. The whole conversation churned in my mind like a storm. Collins’ words rang in my ears: “Joyceline wants Sydney out of the way, and Aiden wants the baby. You need to act fast.” The minute Collins had finished talking, I knew where I needed to be. Joyceline was never subtle with her actions, and if Collins was right, she’d be making her move sooner rather than later. My gut told me I had to find her before she did something reckless. Tracking her wasn’t difficult. She was predictable. Too predictable. I pulled into the parking lot of the city mall, where I knew she’d be, and scanned the area. People streamed in and out of the glass doors, shopping bags hanging from their arms, unaware of the chaos brewing nearby. And then I saw her. Joyceline. She was standing near the entrance, her eyes fixed on a pair walking just a few paces ahead of her. Sydney . My blood
Her eyes lit up as soon as the club lights were turned on. Tonight was going to be hectic, just like every other night in DaSilver’s clubhouse. Sophia silently prayed for tonight to be better than the past few nights since this week started. “Sophia Bennett! Are these guests going to serve themselves?” The sarcastic tone of her manager, Mr Meyers, hit her hard.She turned around swiftly to stare at him with her big doe eyes, “Not at all, sir.”A smirk curved at the corners of Mr Meyers’ lips, “Then stop staring at me like a confused deer and get to work!” He snapped at her.Sophia gathered herself and composure together and scrambled out of his presence. Once she was out of sight, she sighed and tied the apron around her waist. This was how a bad night usually begins with, a terrible scolding from her manager or a superior colleague.“You might want to stop zoning out and get to work, Bennett,” another scornful voice reached her ears. It was from Joanne, the oldest worker in the cl
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 stood on the balcony of my room, looking outside at the clear sky and sun as it shone bright this morning. My hands subconsciously rubbed my belly bump that was becoming visible as each day passed by. My mind was zoned out on the various events that had just happened in the past few weeks.The whole new experience I had when I was with Spencer and how it died down pretty quickly unlike how I expected it to be. My thoughts were randomly thinking of how strong I have been while going through the drama of being involved with Spencer Martins. The love I felt we shared - was it even real?Or was it just an infatuation? Was I too desperate or scared of being alone that I couldn't even shed a little bit of hope of restoring my marriage?Now look at me here, back with my Aiden and his family because no matter how far I run, I would still come back to Aiden's arms. That was the power of destiny and this was how it wanted its game to go.I only played along to it and probably migh
** Spencer **I caught her right before she fell flat on the floor, her sleeping face was looking so calm and peaceful. I make her sit on the chair and relax her body, then I part her lips slightly and place mine on it, pumping air into her lungs.After thirty minutes of this continuous attempt, her eyes fluttered open. I handed her a glass of water to drink so it could calm her nerves down.“You passed out earlier, I figured out that it could be a sign of weakness so I've decided to drop you off at home and let you rest for the day,” I said.I feel like this was what she needed most. A few hours of rest and she will be fine. I don't want to stress Sydney out that much especially since Max saw her in the hospital earlier. She might not open up to tell me what's wrong with her, but I know that she's feeling exhausted and needs rest.“I'm okay, you don't have to let me do this. I came here to work and get paid, I have to keep to that protocol,” she declined.“Why?” I asked.“Why what?”
** Collins **I parked in front of Spencer's Group company. I can't even remember the last time I stepped foot around this place. I haven't been around this area but because of my current mission, I guess I will be hanging around here for a while.It's not like I don't have a business to be busy with. Fortunately, I inherited the Martins company after Elizabeth and Spencer disappeared from the city. The company was handed over to me at a very young age, however, due to my mismanagement, it went over the hill.Currently, the company is on the verge of going bankrupt which is why old man Lee, who is my grandfather and Spencer's grandfather too, decided to put me into politics. The aim was to become the mayor of the city and rule over the people. With this new aim in mind, the bankruptcy of Martins's company did not matter to me or old man Lee.What would shatter us now if I did not make it to the primary elections, which is why we are set out to eliminate whatever it is that is on our w
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
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 ** 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