After dinner, I excused myself first. People were busy with their colleagues, I had to leave before the guests crowded out. Carlos also stood up. I smiled at him. It was reassuring to have someone I knew walking with me.Carlos chose to exit through the side door, not the front door like the other guests. It was comforting to see only us and our bodyguards passing through the corridor. The other guests were far ahead of us."That child was hidden from the public for a dozen years. Only people with great influence can do that. You know Dante Russo isn't just anybody. Your brother-in-law controls many politicians in the government," Carlos explained."Therefore, you must not underestimate Dorothy. Your relationship is not good. She won't hesitate to hurt you, Otis." Carlos looked at me with concern. "I still need you. Don't die."I chuckled. "I know Dorothy. Don't worry.""Your family is unique." Carlos raised his eyebrows.We parted ways in the parking lot. I was glad I'd gotten through
[Camari]“Finally!!!” Jasmine cheered excitedly. “We're at the beach!”I just shook my head as I watched her run toward the shore. We arrived in Honolulu an hour ago. Our flight was smooth, and the plane landed safely. The distance between the airport and the hotel was pretty close. So, we checked in, stored our luggage, and came here in no time.Jasmine couldn't wait to touch the sand. I let her do what she wanted while I stared far out to sea. I hadn't seen nature in a long time. In the three years I was married to Farrell, we didn't travel.I didn't even remember taking a vacation while working at Bloom Enterprise. I was a workaholic to show my parents what I could do. I wanted them to be proud of me and appoint me as Dad's successor without hesitation.“I'm hungry. Come on, let's eat.” Jasmine took my hand and pulled me towards the hotel.“I thought you'd play in the sand and building castles until bedtime,” I teased.She laughed. “I have three more days to play in the sand all I w
Bella held a bachelorette party. The event was heavily covered as several media outlets aired the news. I knew her purpose for doing that. Bella thought I would be jealous of her happiness.I didn't know any of her upper-class friends, but I remembered some of the faces of the women who accompanied her at the restaurant that night. After revealing her identity, she was eager to appear in public and pose for the camera."What a fake friend!" cursed Jasmine. "I can't believe I was fooled for six years!""And she did it for a Farrell." I snorted."No wonder she wouldn't take a picture with us when we were having fun. She claimed she didn't have social media. Apparently, she didn't want us to know who she really was. She must not want her friends to blow her cover either," Jasmine chuckled."You're right. After we found out who she was, she appeared on television almost every day. She must be laughing remembering how innocent we were by believing she was Bella Snow.""My goodness. I hate t
[Otis]Farrell's bachelor party was held at a famous club in the city center. They booked a room just for him and his friends. The event was live-streamed on his and some of his friends' social media accounts.I watched it only when my present was about to arrive. Jasper opened his social media account on his tablet and viewed the security camera view on his laptop. The live feed on social media was about to stop. So, we needed a backup.Someone opened the door with a knock from outside. A woman wearing a sexy nurse costume stood in the doorway. The men cheered and whistled. Farrell turned his head, and his face flushed as he saw her enter."Guys, we have a deal. No strippers," Farrell pointed out."I didn't book her, man," replied the man pointing the camera at him.The rest of his friends joined in the denial, so Farrell pressed his lips together. He covered the camera with his hand. The cheers of his friends grew louder before the show ended.I moved to the laptop. The woman approac
The world was unfair. I had to suffer from rejection from my siblings and father; and being bullied by friends at school and in the neighborhood. When I grew up, people didn't change the way they looked at me.Yet those who hurt me seemed to forget what they had done in the past. How could she greet me and invite me to dinner without any guilt? She even smiled when she invited me to chat over a meal.What did she want to discuss with me? Did she want to mention all the horrible things she had done to me during school? The change in her demeanor must be because I appeared in public with a better status. I couldn't believe Emma would look at me, let alone say hello, if I was penniless."There's no need to do anything. She won't come again," I replied."Trust me, sir. She'll come again," Jasper argued."Forget about that woman. Watch the road ahead of you." I quickly added when Jasper opened his mouth to argue with me again. "End of discussion."I took a deep breath as I closed my apartme
[Camari]Otis was much better the next morning. He smiled a lot and looked relaxed as he showered and dressed. I didn't ask him what happened to make him cry on the couch. He would tell me everything when he was ready.They received souvenirs from me happily in the morning. I bought swim trunks and T-shirts for Otis; some sweatshirts and training pants for Jasper; and Nicole wore the leather jacket I gave her.Jasmine and I couldn't have lunch together because her work was piling up. She hadn't worked for three days so she had to do installments to meet her weekly target. Therefore, I had lunch with Otis and Jasper in the CEO's office.Despite this, I left on time. I told Otis that I would drop by Deborah's unit. Fortunately, he didn't mind. Otis allowed me have dinner with my best friend.I was walking toward my car in the parking lot when I heard quick footsteps following me. Before getting any closer, I turned around. Bella walked quickly towards me and threw her right hand at my fa
She chose a restaurant, so I followed her car into the parking lot. I turned to Nicole, who had parked her motorcycle not far from me. I walked into the restaurant with her.Unlike the previous conversation, the waiter took me to a room. It seemed like the woman had something secret she wanted to discuss with me. I sat down and didn't order anything when the waiter asked. He excused himself after asking us to wait for the order to be delivered.“Well? What do you want to talk to me about?” I asked, seeing her only stare at me.“I'm disappointed with how you caught Farrell's attention.” She looked intently at my clothes and hair. “So, is this my son's weakness?”I laughed amusedly. “What? What you're looking at is not Farrell's weakness that I mentioned the other night, Eleanor, but his favorite.”“I should have realized you were wearing blue on purpose. That's why you don't mind me spreading your intimate pictures with other men in the media.” She sneered. “You want Farrell to see more
[Otis]Fortunately, that woman was nowhere to be seen around the parking lot. She was crazy if she thought I would still want to deal with her. Jasper drove the car safely to the apartment building. Camari met Deborah, so I had dinner with Jasper."What's this?" I asked when Jasper handed me something."The invitation is in the pile of mail in your mailbox." Jasper placed the envelope on the sideboard. "The rest is only brochures with advertisements."I looked at the envelope. There was only the recipient's name, no sender's name. I opened the envelope and took out the thick paper inside. I read the name on the invitation over and over again to make sure I wasn't imagining things."What invitation, sir?" Jasper asked."Farrell and Bella's wedding invitation." I handed him the invitation."What?" he said in surprise. "What did they invite you to come for?""I'm not coming." I walked towards my bedroom.I wasn't crazy yet. An invitation with no sender's name was suspicious. My family wou
Jasper moved quickly. He picked me up and ran to the car. Otis broke protocol by getting into the same car as me, but I needed him. So, I let him sit beside me.The medical team welcomed us to the hospital. My obstetrician greeted me and checked my condition. My feelings were uncertain when he said the opening wasn't quite there yet. We needed to wait until the time came.Our family arrived, helping me get ready. Otis stayed in the room with me. Whenever I needed him, I turned to him, and he would come closer. Hours passed, but the torment wasn't over yet.I grew more and more frightened as the pain became unbearable. Seeing Otis' pale face, I smiled at him. It must have been hard for him to see me in this state. It made me realize one important thing. There would be no other man like him in this world."Otis," I whispered. He came closer. "I don't know what would happen in the labor room. But I want you to know... I love you. I love you so much."Otis was stunned. His eyes then filled
[Camari]Otis was busy with the two companies he was responsible for. I thought everything was fine. He solved all of Haworth Incorporation's financial problems and replaced some old directors with his confidants.However, I had no idea why he bought shares from certain people in the company. I wasn't with him all the time since my pregnancy made it difficult for me to move around freely. So, he had lunch or dinner with his colleagues without me.He even bought shares in his company from people demanding that he step down from his seat. I wasn't the finance director, so I didn't know the company's financial position. But seeing Jasmine's calm demeanor, I concluded that everything was still under control.Therefore, I was surprised by today's announcement. Precious Fund Corporation and Haworth Incorporation were merging. Precious Fund remained, while Haworth Incorporation ceased to exist. What did Father think of this?The man I was thinking about came in with a cheerful face, making m
Bella had just given birth. Following Father's instructions, we checked the baby and Farrell for a DNA match. The lab technician called to tell us the results were up for collection. Dorothy flew straight from her town to take care of it with me.Camari was twenty-eight weeks pregnant. I didn't want anything to happen to her if she met Bella in prison. She should be in a high-security place. The office had bodyguards and building security. I could rest easy if she were there."Otis!" Dorothy called.I waved the envelope of test results at her. "The results are here.""Come on, open it quickly," she said impatiently.I opened the envelope and took out the paper inside. I sighed when I saw the results. The question that had been bothering us was answered. For safety reasons, Dorothy and I headed to the prison in our respective cars.Ever since Bella attacked my car, I hadn't been in the same car with my family. Camari and I also didn't share a car when we went anywhere. She still drove
Our parents excused themselves from the living room. They ran away and didn't help me to explain the sentence to Camari. I swallowed and saw them smiling meaningfully. Didn't they know I was terrified?After the door closed and it was just the two of us, Camari cleared her throat. "Otis?"I swallowed hard. "Don't worry about the money. I have a personal stash that I've set aside for my wedding. So, I'm not taking the company's operating money."She smiled. "Are you afraid I'll laugh at your feelings?" she cooed. Camari squeezed my hand. "Thank you for loving me, but I can't say the same." She bowed her head."Camari, I—" I muttered, feeling bad."Please don't get me wrong," she cut in. "Give me time. Our marriage was unplanned. The baby came unexpectedly, followed by the blessing and the reception... I didn't have time to digest all the significant events I experienced in quick succession."You are a kind and gentle man. I'll have no trouble loving you. Therefore, I need time. I won't
[Otis]I stared at the loser man without blinking. He just lowered his head, not daring to return my gaze. He didn't touch the envelope I placed in front of him. He must have understood the purpose of my visit. And I needed an explanation."Silence won't make me forgive what you and your team did," I stated. "This is the first and last warning. If you dare forge people's signatures again, I'll shut down your law firm. You know I'm capable of that.""Mr. Haworth." He finally opened his mouth. "Neither I nor my team forged anyone's signature. If the client didn't sign, then Farrell did.""The client didn't show up for her divorce papers, and you were not her attorney. Was that Farrell's fault, too?" I asked. "My nephew died doesn't mean you can put all the blame on him. I'm not that stupid."I took the envelope back. "This is my proof of how negligent your law firm is. If you did it again, I wouldn't think twice about destroying you.""Mr. Haworth." The man stood up and followed me.Jas
Otis and I went to separate places after work. He met Carlos to discuss business while I saw my psychologist. I cried my heart out in that room, telling Jennifer everything I'd been through over the past week.I felt so relieved after pouring out my feelings. Jennifer didn't suggest anything. She congratulated me on successfully ending my hatred for the two people who had done me harm.Otis was still talking to Carlos, so I went home with my bodyguard. Looking at the numbers on the elevator, I thought of someone. I pressed the number to my old apartment and smiled. She must be in her apartment.Sure enough. Deborah greeted me with a smile and the delicious cooking aroma inside her unit. She offered me her appetizing lasagna. We enjoyed it while chatting in the dining room."I'm sorry about what happened to your family," she said with concern.I liked the word she chose, family. She didn't mention Farrell as my ex-husband. "Thank you. What an unexpected turn of events. He was young.""
[Camari]As the weekend passed, we went about our usual activities. Otis and I started the day with exercise. He swam while I practiced martial arts with Jasper. Things had been better since Nicole woke up, and Bella was in custody.I found it hard to concentrate since I was out of danger. I didn't know what was wrong with me. The day went by so fast, but it also felt so slow. I wasn't excited about the day either, even though I forced myself to smile so no one would suspect anything.Otis and Jasper entered the office, so I sat in my chair. My new bodyguard stood guard not far from me. I kept my distance from her to avoid getting emotionally involved. The incidents that happened to Nicole had left me devastated, and I didn't want to go through it again.I didn't know why people closest to me kept getting hurt. I just wanted it to be over. Farrell was gone. Eleanor and Bella were behind bars. Hopefully, no more disasters would befall me or my family."Good morning, ma'am," a security
[Otis]I had never felt so desperate as when I watched my wife being taken away before my eyes. I made the mistake of taking off my seat belt to kiss her cheek. As a result, my body was thrown and fell on the floor after the car hit something.Then, help came. People rescued us, and only then did I find out that our car tires were shot. Therefore, Jasper had difficulty controlling the car. He chose to crash into a shop rather than another vehicle. Fortunately, it saved our lives.We weren't hurt, but it was different with Nicole. They shot her arm, and she fell off her motorcycle. The doctor had to perform surgery as soon as possible to remove the bullet and fix the position of her broken arm and leg."Farrell and Bella have to die," Jasper whispered. He stared at the operating room door with red eyes. "Brad is tracking down Mrs. Haworth. Sorry, I can't concentrate—""Nicole is your girlfriend." I patted the back of his hand. "I understand."It took Brad hours to figure out Camari's w
After that deafening explosion, the room turned so quiet that my ears were ringing. I felt nothing in my body. Did the bullet lodged in the body numb the wound?I opened my eyes and saw that my lap was clean. There was no blood. Strange. No part of my body felt aches or pains. Did the shooter miss or misfire? I took a deep breath. No part of my body hurt, and I was still alive!"Noooo!!!" Bella shouted, startling me.My heart was beating fast. I turned and saw her running towards me. Oh, God. Did she want to kill me with her hands? I struggled, trying to break free from the bonds on my hands and feet, but it was in vain.Bella didn't approach me but knelt and held something under me. I turned and was surprised to see someone lying on the floor. Bella turned his body so that I could see his face. No way.That selfish man who only loved himself couldn't be lying there. He wouldn't sacrifice himself to save anyone, especially me. Farrell hated me. He only loved Bella. It was impossible.