💍 CHAPTER 14💍THE NEXT DAYMelina let out a deep breath for the umpteenth time as she draws closer to a building. "VINTAGE VAULT CLOTHING CO." was portrayed boldly in front of the tall, elegant building. The door automatically opened and Melina entered.The moment Melina stepped in, it felt as though she entered a different world. The inside of the building was more dazzling than the outside! Everything inside the company screamed nothing but classiness! There were a lot of stunning clothes up for display. This place felt heaven-like."Damn! Mr. Hartless has taste!" Melina acknowledged."Excuse me, Miss Melina Throndsen?" A feminine voice quickly snapped Melina out of her fantasy. She glanced over to see a woman standing not so far from her. The woman, dressed in a formal suit with a file in her hands approached Melina."Good morning, Ma'am. You're Miss Melina Throndsen, right?""Erm...Yes""Welcome to Vintage Vault Clothing Co. My name is Shirley Norman and I am VVC's top sec
💍 CHAPTER 15 💍FAST FORWARD TO Saturday.Melina stared at her reflection in the mirror one last time. She couldn't believe this was her. The blue one-shoulder body con long-sleeve dress she was putting on looked perfect on her, bringing out every damn detail of her slender curves. She headed downstairs and met the kids and Barbera waiting for her."Mommy is going out with Daddy!" Little Shantel exclaimed, clapping in tiny. Leon quickly shushed her "Lower your voice, Shantel" He then corrected "And it is called a date, Mommy is going on a date with Daddy"Barbera who could hear what the two were whispering let out a scoff. She couldn't understand who these kids were referring to as their Dad. She has overheard them a couple of times talking to themselves about meeting their "Daddy"Melina left the house after giving the two cuties a goodbye kiss on the forehead. She got outside and spotted Ethan leaning against a car. Ethan almost choked on the bottle of water he was drinking
💍 CHAPTER 16 💍The scene continued with Melina and Dominic still on the dance floor.Melina looked away shyly. She couldn't stare Dominic in the face. The fact that they were this close to each other was making her heart race like crazy. She couldn't understand whether she was nervous or if there was something else.Despite being shy, Melina continued "And also, I want to..." But Dominic didn't let her finish. For the first time, the cold man stated in a low, hoarse voice "Look at me, Melina. Tell me what you want to say... with your eyes fixed on mine intently"THUMP!Yep, that was Melina's heart. Hearing Dominic call her name for the very first time without adding "Miss" to it, Melina's heart skipped and started thumping rapidly. A certain sweetness curled up her stomach making a faint blush crept up her cheeks.Wait, where were all these weird feelings coming from?Melina looked up as Dominic instructed "I want to... also thank you for allowing me to experience this
💍 CHAPTER 17 💍 Dominic angrily pulled Melina out of the event hall. With only the two of them now in the hallway, he let go of her hand. Melina gulped down nothing. She could see how annoyed Dominic was. But wait, what is he even furious about? "What did I tell you to do before leaving?" Dominic began after a moment of silence between them. Melina didn't know if she was supposed to answer the question. Regardless she replied, "You said I should stay where you can see me?" "And?" Dominic glared at her. Melina, now confused, responded "But I did stay where can see me. I didn't go anywhere." "Then what were you doing inside with Richard?!" Dominic was trying to keep his voice calm and collected. "We were dancing." "Dancing?" He let out an angry snort. He then grabbed her arms and pinned her to the wall. A sudden gasp left Melina's lips as she wasn't expecting that. Dominic towered over her, caging her in between his arms with his hands resting on the wall above her shoulder. Meli
💍CHAPTER 18💍It was a cool Sunday afternoon. Everyone was busy having a great time with their family or friends. Amusement parks were filled and booming with children playing with their parents. It was a rest day for everyone. Well, except for Dominic Hartless.Dominic was at the Hartless Empire, in the conference room with the Empire's Board of Directors. The Hartless Empire in general was a huge firm governed by different businessmen. It was founded by Dominic's grandfather, Hartless, and his group of friends making it a joint Empire. Dominic's father, Alexander Hartless, was the present overall CEO and president. Dominic on the other hand, was the acting CEO.They have all gathered to discuss a trivial matter. The matter was about Dominic himself."Seeing how far the Empire has gone and how much it has grown this few years after Mr. Hartless took over, I must admit this is the highest growth recorded since the Empire was founded. And it's all thanks to you, Mr. Hartless." Mr. Fe
💍 CHAPTER 19 💍The moment the closing bell rang, Shantel beamed greatly and sprang out of her desk. She ran to Leon who was busy packing his books in his backpack and grabbed his hand. "Come on, Leon. Let's go!" Leon wasn't given an opportunity to oppose. Shantel pulled him out of the classroom and they both were now running down the hallway."Calm down, Shantel. Where are we going in such a hurry?" The little boy could only ask."Daddy is coming to pick us up today. We need to hurry so he can see us.""Wait, how sure are you that he is coming? He didn't reply to the message we sent him, remember?""Maybe he was busy that's why he didn't reply""Or he is too busy he hasn't even seen the mail talk more of reading it." Leon scoffed. Shantel pulled a break on her legs when they finally arrived at the pick-up area. The little girl let go of Leon's hand and turned to face him fully before stating confidently "I'm sure Daddy will come. He will never let me down."Leon let out a sigh of
💍 CHAPTER 20 💍 Dominic stared down at the little boy standing before him whose arms were folded and who was glaring at him, in uttermost dismay. He couldn't believe his eyes. Saying that this little boy has a striking resemblance with him was an understatement. He was a copycat of Dominic! His hair, gray eyes, nose structure, and facial structure as a whole were like that of Dominic. Dominic could swear, this boy was just a younger version of himself! Now he understands why Ethan couldn't stop gaping at him and why the young man asked if he had kids he knew nothing about. And no wonder Shantel believes that he is their father. If not for one thing, Dominic himself would have believed instantly that he was this boy's father! But how is this even possible? What sort of a crazy coincidence is this?... Even Leon was surprised. He couldn't stop looking at the tall intimidating man standing before him. Now he is convinced that this man is their long-lost father. Nothing was going to ma
💍CHAPTER 21 💍It was then Dominic's doubts were cleared. He and Melina had met before. Mr. Throndsen Romero, the governor of Westwood, was a well-known and respected politician. At one time, Alexander had dragged Dominic to one of the events Romero hosted. There, Romero introduced his wife and daughter, Melina. That was the first time Dominic met her. He could still remember that day clearly.But why can't he remember if they had met any other time apart from then? "Oh shoot. Daddy, we need to head back to school. Mommy must be waiting for us. I totally forgot!" Shantel snapped him out of his thoughts. Leon almost choked on the ice cream he was licking. "I can't believe we forgot that Mommy always picks us up from school every day. She must be worriedly looking for us!" The little boy remarked before turning to Dominic with a glare."This is all your fault, Mr. Hartless. You were trying to bribe us with some delicious dessert so we can forget Mom and come with you instead" He
Months passed after Eric's death,they mourned and they moved on.It hit his father the hardest because he felt that he was at fault for letting Eric grow up with so much hatred in his heart.His family was finally reunited.He had resumed his role as the president of the company and Melina resumed her role as CEO of her own company.He proposed to Melina on the eve of their anniversary where she announced the news that she was pregnant.In light of the joyous news,they finally gor married with Shantel and Leon as their best man and maid of honour.It was a joyous occasion.Six months after that,the family welcomed their second set of twins after a very long and tortuous labour.They parents entrusted Shantel and Leon with naming their siblings which they did.Their names were...Micheal and Michela
NOTE; This chapter is not edited Evelyn opened her eyes to find herself in the hospital surrounded by stainless steel objects and disinfectant.At the far end of the room,Dominic was standing in place with the doctor.She could only hear snippets of the conversation."Am afraid her Amnesia is quite serious.She just felt overwhelmed by the memories flooding back.Thats why she fainted."the doctor had said solemnly and with a fre exchange of words he exited the room.Dominic realized that she was awake and rushed to her side instantly,giving her a sad smile."Hey"he greeted."Hi"she gave him a weak smile.Not being one to mince his words,he spoke up."Why didn't you tell me you had amnesia ?"he asked softly."I didn't see how that was important "she responded weakly.Before he could ask any other question,she had dozed off.The morphine must have kicked inAs he watched her sleep,he vowed to do everything in his power to regain her lost memory.She just had to remember them.A week went by
"Dominic..." She called out softly making his eyes widened greatly."I... I...love you" She mumbled before passing out in his arms. For a moment Dominic stared at her, excited and surprised at the same time. She remembers, she remembers him.Without waking her or his children who were sound asleep in their rooms amidst all the commotion, he lifted her up in his arms and carried her to bed.Covering her with a duvet, he sat down beside her and held her hand,. placing a kiss on it."You don't know how happy I am to hear you call my name, Melina. I love you"* * * *The next morning, she groaned in pain.She felt the loud pounding in her head as she struggled to get up.Looking around the room,she felt a familiar peace as she glanced around the beautiful decorated room."Ugh"she grunted. Placing a hand on her pounding head,she threw the duvet away from her ,only to find that she wasn't alone.There with her was Dominic sleeping so peacefully beside her.she couldn't hide the smile that esca
ONE WEEK LATERAfter confirming with her assistant, Dominic and Evelyn set up a time, which was today by 5pm although she had warned them ahead of time that she would be late.They couldn't find a suitable venue by that time of day so he settled for a making dinner at his place. In the five years he had been without Melina, Dominic had picked up a thing or two about cooking. He knew how to make pasta which was what he intended to make.Three horrible attempts later, he had everything setup and freshened up, preparing himself to welcome her into his home. He popped open the wine and poured himself a glass as he waited for her arrival. The kids were in their bedroom.Hours ticked by and Evelyn was still not there. He picked up his phone and dialed but the line wasn't connecting. He tried a handful of times before redirecting her call to her office.The call was answered after the first two rings."Hello" A strange voice sounded at the other end. The voice didn't belong to her."Hello, w
The moment Dominic and Shantel got back home, he issued a check to the Nanny and sent her on her merry way never to be seen by him again. He headed straight to his study room to call Ethan. There was something he needed him to do.His hands were sweating and his breath heaved as he dialed the number on his phone. Ethan picked up at the first ring."Yes, Sir""Ethan, I want you to dig into possible whereabouts of my wife's body. Was she cremated or buried?" He inquired. "Sir?" Ethan blurted out in surprise ."I need you to do this for my peace of mind" He explained. "If I may ask, Boss, what is this about?" Ethan asked. Dominic could sense the uneasiness in his voice. But he knew he had to. Seeing Melina today made him realize many things. All cases regarding her accident and death was sealed and ruled out and her body was taken care of while he had been in prison. He wasn't the one that buried her. He didn't even see her body. By the tine he was out of prison, she was already buried
As Everlyn watched the world haze by, the faint sound of someone calling out for her rang in her ears. For a brief moment, a flash hit her. Someone was calling out for her; a little girl. She couldn't see her face but her voice was getting softer and softer, almost like she was walking far away from her.Getting shocked out of her reverie, she looked down at the teary-eyed girl who was gazing up at her so hopefully.She didn't want to be the one to dash her hopes but she had to set things straight. She didn't know her and she had never seen her before. Not that she can remember at least."Sweetie, I think you're confusing me with someone else" She spoke softly, ruffling Shantel's long brunette hair that was just like hers. It was an uncanny resemblance and somewhere at the back of her mind, she felt that small voice calling out to her. Telling her that they were connected. But she shoved those incessant thoughts away and focused on what was real.Shantel on the other hand couldn't bel
"Ethan, have you gotten the proper documents needed for the dealership shipment tomorrow?" Dominic asked as he glanced through the array of folders that lay splayed all over his desk. They were so close to their launch and they couldn't afford any mistakes or delay. It would be catastrophic If they encounter any sort of loss due to negligence."Boss, about the contract proposal from the new company?" Ethan demanded but without looking up from the documents, Dominic waved a hand dismissively. "We do not have time to deal with something that huge when we have a bigger deal on our hands" He responded, sifting through the blue spiral-bound envelope."But, Boss. I went through the contract some weeks ago and it looked really promising and we were allowed full creative control if we were to take it up." Ethan informed, adjusting his glasses as he placed the opened document in front of Dominic's desk.Dominic finally looked up and Ethan directed his gaze to the file. Reluctantly, he took th
Five years later...Staring out from the glass pane windows that overlooked the outskirts of the city. The thoughts of the last couple of years came replaying in Dominic's mind.Five years ago, with the help of Ethan, he was proven innocent and was released from prison. But after his release from prison, things have never been the same. Within five years he was able to gather his life back together a little bit. Though he was proven innocent, the board of directors teamed up with Eric and removed him as the president of the Hartless Empire, making Eric the president instead.But that wasn't a setback for Dominic. Even though he was no longer the president, within five years, he took over VVC fully and made the best fashion company in Westwood. Within five years, he was able to regain his fame and power and was still known as the most powerful man in Westwood.But all of this meant nothing to Dominic. All the fame and power to him were useless. What was the point of gathering his life
Back in Westwood, Dominic was grappling with his own demons. He had retreated from the world, haunted by the accusations and the uncertainty of who had committed the terrible crime.He was also in shambles over Melina and her decision to break up.As he sat in his cell contemplating his life an officer came up the cell and began unlocking it. “Let's go, Dominic, you have a visitor.”Dominic's heart soared as he envisioned Melina had come to visit him.He stayed still as his hands and feet were handcuffed and he was led out of the tiny, cramped cell.He was let into the poorly lit room and made to sit down.Dominic was confused and just as he was about to question the guard Eric revealed himself."Hello, Dominic," Eric said, a malevolent grin on his face as he sat down across from Dominic in an interrogation room. "It's been a while."Eric was a tall, handsome man with a charming smile. He was also a ruthless businessman who was determined to destroy Dominic.Dominic's face lost all of