After being jailed because her husband, Jackson Watson, framed her, Fiona went back home to meet her son and her hated husband, only to find out that her best friend had taken her place of being the madam of their marital home. Worse, she discovered Jackson had forged her signature to steal her company, just like he had done to imprison her two years ago! Being served a divorce paper was just an icing on the cake. Betrayed, furious, and broken, she signed the divorce paper and swore to herself. “You took everything from me, Jackson. Now, watch me take back what’s mine.” At her lowest point of life, kicked off her marital home with just her son with her, she met Ethan Miller, a world-class lawyer who offered his help. But would a renowned lawyer take pity on a divorced woman without asking for anything back? What would happen when Fiona found out that Ethan wasn’t the man she thought him to be and that he had a motive to get close to her? Would it be like Jackson all over again? Leaving her heartbroken with nothing else? Would she follow in her dad’s footsteps and become the most influential CEO with just her son by her side? Or would she forgive him when he begged her back?
View MoreHave you ever regretted making a decision?
The decision I made seven years ago got me into this, and I regret it.
The heavy prison gates creaked open, and sunlight shone a blinding white directly on Fiona Robison’s tear-filled eyes.
Two years. Two years stolen and wasted on a crime she didn't commit. She has finally been released. Yet, it wasn't pure joy that filled her. It was a bitter cocktail of longing, disgust, and hatred. All of this for two different people.
She clutched the worn photograph in her pocket—the image of her son, Rowan Watson, his gap-toothed grin—a glaring contrast to the harsh reality that she had experienced in prison.
Taking a shaky breath, she hailed a cab, ignoring the tremor in her voice.
"Tanglin," she rasped, the word a foreign taste on her tongue.
She highlighted in front of a sprawling mansion with a big iron gate. Despite the steely resolve hardening within her, a tremor ran through her hand as she fished out a crumpled twenty-dollar bill for the fare.
"Here," she mumbled, her voice rough.
"Thanks, lady," the driver grunted, barely sparing her a glance as he zoomed off in his cab.
Stepping into the house, she held her eyes closed and took a deep breath, savoring the familiar scent of her home that had now become foreign to her nostrils.
“Home at last,” she murmured.
Suddenly, a blur of brown and blue shot through the opened door, with a high-pitched sound shattering the air. Before she could react, a small body collided with her legs, wrapping tiny arms around her waist.
"Mama!"
Looking down, Fiona felt a sob rise in her throat, and at the same time, her heart was filled with joy, seeing Rowan clinging to her like a lifeline. He was four years and six months old when she left for prison, and now he was a far cry from the gap-toothed boy in the photograph—his hair, a mess of windblown brown curls, framed a face streaked with dirt and tears, his bright blue eyes mirroring her own silver gray. He was the one for whom Fiona felt a longing.
"Mama!" He cried again, his voice thick with emotion. "You came back!"
Fiona dropped to her knees, engulfing him in a tight hug. The fabric of his clothes felt rough against her sallow skin. Tears, long held back, streamed down her face, hot and salty.
"I'm here, sweetheart," she whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "Mama's here now." She patted him slightly.
Rowan clung to her, his small body trembling. Even at six and a half years old, the confusion and pain of her absence were etched on his face. Fiona rocked him gently, her heart overflowing with a cocktail of love, relief, and simmering anger directed at Jackson Watson, her husband, who never came to see her in prison, not to mention bringing Rowan to check on her.
She pulled back, wiping away his tears with her calloused thumbs. "Look at you! You've gotten so big," she beamed, tracing the dirt smudged on his cheek.
Rowan sniffled, a wide, wobbly grin splitting his face. "I missed you, mama."
"I missed you more, Row. More than you can ever imagine." She cupped his baby-fat cheeks.
“I told Dad that I wanted to come to where you were, but he said he was busy and couldn’t leave work,” Rowan blurted as a matter of fact.
Fiona’s heart clenched, hearing that her husband couldn’t leave his work to come check her up in prison for a whole two years when he was the reason why she had served a jail term. She gulped down nothing in her throat.
“Where is dad?” Fiona asked, getting to her feet as she held onto Rowan’s hand. One would think that Rowan would disappear if she ever let go of his hand.
"They are in the lounge," Rowan responded, gesturing in the lounge's direction.
Fiona's hand tightened around Rowan's as a cold dread pooled in the pit of her stomach as she searched her memories for any company Jackson must have gotten because they don’t normally have visitors except for Jackson’s mother and his sister, who often visit them.
"They?" she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper. Rowan nodded again, his innocent eyes searching hers with a huge grin on his face.
Taking a deep breath, Fiona steeled herself and brushed off the thought that was running through her head. Confusing herself that it must be her mother-in-law or perhaps her sister-in-law. With her chin held high, they walked towards the lounge, her heart pounding slightly against her ribs.
The lounge door swung open, revealing a scene that ripped the breath from her lungs. Jackson, looking more handsome with his styled, dark brown hair, sat on a plush couch, his arm wrapped possessively around a woman with a protruded baby bump. She was pregnant.
Well, it wasn't just any woman—it was Alaina Preston, Fiona’s best friend, the one she had confided in about her troubles with Jackson.
Before Fiona went to prison, she could perceive scents of women on his clothes, and she could ask him about it, but he always assured her it was because he mingled with business associates, and it was nothing to worry about.
A wave of nausea washed over Fiona. The scene felt as if a whole bucket of ice was poured on her head, drenching her. Her gaze darted between Jackson's cold hazel eyes and Alaina's carefully painted face, a mask of betrayal hiding what Fiona knew once was genuine friendship and love.
"Fiona," Jackson drawled, his voice dripping with mock surprise. "We weren't expecting you so soon. So… It’s been two years." He said it sarcastically.
Before Fiona could speak, Alaina stood up, her designer dress swishing around her legs. Her sharp green eyes fixed on Fiona, and a practiced smile appeared on her face—the same smile she uses when greeting Fiona.
"Looks like we’ve got a visitor. Well, you’re welcome,” she purred, extending a perfectly manicured hand.
The word slammed into Fiona like a physical blow.
In her own home?
The house she bought with her hard-earned money?
A visitor?
Rage ignited within her, like a volcano ready to erupt. But this wasn't a prison. This was her life, as well as her home. She wouldn't crumble.
With a dangerous gaze, Fiona ignored Alaina's outstretched hand.
She scoffed. "Jackson," she called, her voice dangerously low. "Do I really deserve this from you?" Her voice echoed, betraying her emotions as she tried hard not to break herself. Even though she felt like the ground was closing in on her, but not in front of them. She wouldn’t give them that impression.
“You left me in prison for two damn years. I suffered because of the crime you committed. I was beaten and tortured by other inmates for what I knew nothing about,” she bawled, as tears won the battle against her.
Jackson snickered as a sly smile found its way to his face. “Fiona, what did you expect me to do? Wait for you? An ex-convict?” He aircoated the last word.
Fiona's heart shattered like a broken mirror, hearing Jackson call her an ex-convict.
“You don’t expect me to live under the same roof with you when you’ve slept and mixed up with other criminals like you are in prison,” Jackson snorted coldly, his voice void of emotions and love that he had always shown Fiona years back.
Fiona gasped. “You called me a criminal?” Her teary eyes widened in surprise, not believing Jackson would utter such despite the fact that he had committed the crime that led her to prison. Well, what was she expecting?
A small, sad smile curled up on Fiona’s face. Her reaction stunned Jackson and Alaina, who were expecting her to break down with what Jackon had said, but little did they know that she doesn’t give a f*ck about them anymore. The only thing that broke her was Alaina, whom she never expected to meet with her husband, and to top it all, she was pregnant. Obviously for him.
She gulped down the bitterness clinging in her throat. “Jackson, you don’t deserve me, nor do you deserve the luxurious life I have given you.” Her voice was strong and unwavering.
“Well, since I am back now, I would like to take back what’s mine. The company I put you in charge of a few years back because you were jobless. The company you invaded the taxes and made me take the blame," she demanded, trying hard to gain composure over her inner turmoil.
Just as Jackson was about to respond to Fiona, a feminine voice laced with disgust reverberated through the walls of the lounge.
“Who do you think you are?”
“Are you insinuating that my son ran the company down when you were the culprit?”
The sound of Alaina’s phone jolted her out of sleep as she rubbed her face to clear her sleepy eyes. She reached out for the phone on the side shelf beside her bed. Yawning and covering her mouth with her other hand, she answered the phone. “Hey, why are you calling so late?” She frowned as if the person at the other end could see her face. “I just needed to hear your voice, that’s all,” a deep masculine voice echoed at the other end. She rolled her eyes inwardly. “And what if my husband was home by this time that you called?” She sneered. "Well, you mentioned earlier that he went to his ex-wife's birthday."“Oh,” she yawned slightly. “I totally forgot I did, so, tell me, you didn’t just call to hear my voice, right?” She voiced out her suspicions. ”You caught me.” The caller paused for a moment before continuing speaking again. “It’s about Jackson and his...”“Please hold on." She caught him off, standing up from the bed as she heard the sound of the doorbell. “I think Jackson i
“Miss Chloe, you lost him, and he is now mine!” She said possessively, wrapping her arms around Ethan’s waist, and a smug smile was playing in her lips. Chloe gasped inaudibly and stepped backward. She had thought that Fiona would be annoyed with Ethan if she made her believe Ethan didn’t tell her beforehand that they dated. What Fiona did was the opposite of what she had expected. Fiona, on the other hand, knew what Chloe could be up to. She has had many encounters with her in the past when her father was still the CEO. She knew how mischievous she could be. And if it were to be some months ago that she didn’t know or was afraid of how she was feeling towards Ethan, she would have flared up and left the spot, but right now, she knew what she wanted. She loved him, and she wouldn’t allow any woman to come close to separating them with lies. Ethan at the sametime was shocked, but he was adept at masking his expression with his cold aura. He didn’t know Fiona could be so possessive,
“Hey, Rowan, Daddy is here.” A small smile lit up on his face as he walked closer to them. If the rest of the crowd were closer to where they were, they would have known that Jackson was Fiona's ex-husband, and that was the least she wanted. Jackson was from a low-class family, so he wasn't well-known in the city, and their marriage wasn’t known to anyone. Hearing Jackson’s voice, Fiona spun her head back, as her back was to where he was coming from. She arched her eyebrow, her face twisting into a sneer. She never thought he would be here, and when he arrived with Chloe, she couldn't ask them to leave. It doesn't portray who she was. She spoke as she felt his presence beside her. “Jackson, don’t make a scene here. Respect yourself!” She warned sternly with a cold voice void of emotions, moving away from him to stand beside Ethan. Jackson smiled bitterly, biting hard on his lower lips. “Are you saying coming to meet our son is a scene or a crime?” Jackson countered, his hands cro
With everyone’s gaze fixed on the just-arrived stretched limousine, Chloe and Jackson weren't exceptional. Earlier, Chloe felt very happy to have drawn so much attention to herself as she made her way to the event, but seeing this had gained more attention than she had made a frown crease her forehead. She clutched tightly onto the glass of drink in her hand, and her dangerous gaze was fixed on the door of the limousine. If looks could kill, then Chloe’s gaze would have been the perfect description for ‘a killer look.’ Jackson at the other end looked stupefied, with his jaw slightly hitting the ground. He wasn’t surprised that someone of such significant importance was visiting Fiona’s birthday. But remembering that she was the famous CEO’s daughter, he composed himself. So, who was this person? Just as expected, the driver’s side of the door flung open, and the driver got out to open the first side of the door. After he did, his head dropped down into a full bow and his gaze fixed
Employees from Beckett’s enterprise, Beckett’s retail outlets, Beckett’s plants, and to mention but a few of Fiona’s employees started trooping into the mansion. All dressed in elegance and expensive clothing. Fiona had thought it was supposed to be the employees from only Beckett’s enterprise, but seeing that employees from the other companies were also coming filled her heart with surprise and admiration. Although she hadn’t sent the invite, she knew who did. It was none other than Mia, the social butterfly. They had initially planned to use the living room, but with the numbers, they opted for the spacious open area in the mansion. Everyone coming into the mansion was with one present or the other, and they approached her and gave her their presents. She couldn’t count how many she had received in just a few hours into the events. As her gaze moved around the crowds, chatting and laughing joyfully among themselves, the clinking of glasses would be audible. As much as she was h
Just as Fiona had said. All she needed was sleep. After taking a long night's rest, she was up the next day and left for the company after her driver dropped Rowan off at school. Her birthday was on her mind. She was thinking about whether to celebrate it or not, so she decided to seek Mia’s opinion. “So, Mia, my birthday is in three days' time,” she said, causing Mia to turn around and face her. A huge grin on her face as she spoke with awe. “Oh, really?” Her eyes brightened. Fiona nodded in response. “So, I’m thinking..." She paused and tilted her head to the side. “Celebration?” “Of course we will celebrate it,” Mia responded joyfully. “It would be really fun,” she added with a big smile. Mia was a social butterfly, always seeking out fun and excitement. Fiona, on the other hand, was more reserved, preferring the company of only her friends and family. They were complete opposites."So we're all coming to Robinson Mansion by the weekend, right?" She said it rhetorically, not
Having gotten what he wanted from the spy, Ethan warned him to stay away from him, threatening that anytime he noticed him on his tail, he would regret doing so. The spy with bruises all over his face couldn’t help but nod at him in response. He knew he couldn’t tell Chloe what had happened because she had warned him not to leave any traces and that Ethan was a smart man. He knew that it would be either his salary would be cut or he would even risk losing the job. He decided not to let Chloe know about the mess he had caused. Ethan left in his car and headed to Chloe’s company. Once he got there, the receptionist was stunned to see Ethan Miller face-to-face. Someone she had been dying to meet. Let's just say she was a fan. “Oh my god,” she blushed sheepishly. “Do you mind if I take a selfie with you?” the receptionist asked, attempting to bring out his phone to snap her and Ethan. Ethan gave her a cold smile. “That’s not why I am here." He fixed his cold gaze on her. “I need to se
“Why are you following me!?” Ethan demanded, and disgust dripped out of every word. The spy spat out a mouthful of blood as a result of the hit from Ethan. "It's just a coincidence that we are heading in the same direction. I am not following you,” he answered, not giving in to the physical threat. Ethan dropped him and motioned for the guy in the black suit to take over. He doesn’t like to get physical in public because he wouldn’t want the news that he was assaulting someone to start flying over the internet when they don’t know the root of the matter. The guy grabbed him roughly, pinning him to his car. He smacked him across the face. “Start talking,” he thundered, and he smacked him again and again. “I said I am not following...” Before he could finish his sentence, the guy fist connected to his face. His lips and nose burst such that blood started dripping out of them. “Who are you!?” The guy brought out a g*n and pointed it at his head. Feeling the cold metal in contact wit
“I love you too, Ethan.” Ethan’s heart swelled with Fiona’s response. He felt butterflies dancing in his stomach. It was as if that was the best thing he had heard for a long time. That response meant a lot to him. He felt like he was on cloud nine, bustling with intense excitement. He pulled away from her and held her hands, their eyes locked. He caressed her hand dotingly. They stared at each other in silence.“Do you care for lunch?” He asked, searching into her eyes for answers, and when he saw the indecisiveness in them, he spoke again. “Fiona, don’t say no,” he added with a gentle, and encouraging smile. Fiona felt conflicted; she had turned Mia down just a few minutes ago because she was busy, and now Ethan wanted to take her out. She doesn’t want to decline because of the stress he had gone through to come down to her office, leaving his own personal life. It was the sweetest thing someone would do, and she appreciated it, and the only way to reciprocate was to agree to go
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