MIRANDAJust as I walked back into the house, one of the maids approached me and said, "Dinner has been served, Mrs. Duke, and everyone is waiting for you to eat."I thanked her and proceeded to the dining room as I believed that Hazel was also waiting for me there. When I got there, however, I saw everyone but Hazel. Most of them had begun eating and didn't even glance my way. I quickly left the dining room, in search of Hazel.When I went into our bedroom, I saw him standing by the window with his back to me. I didn't know what he was looking at but I wanted to hug him.After taking a few steps though, I hesitated as I recalled the cold treatment he had given me outside, not long ago.The words Shayla had said to me, played over in my mind and I shook my head, "No, I can't give room for me and Hazel to grow apart."I proceeded toward him and hugged him from the back, resting my face on his back.His body stiffened at first but relaxed before he turned. When he said nothing, I lifte
MIRANDA I left the room with my mother-in-law and we both went to the dining room. Seeing the different number of people eating in the dining, I felt uncomfortable and really had no desire to eat.However, I spotted Hazel sitting at the head of the table. By his right, Princess sat down while Shayla sat at his left. Meanwhile, there was no seat left for me as Hazel's mom took the last seat and ordered one of the maids to get a seat for me.I recalled what Shayla had said to me outside and scoffed. It was obvious she deliberately sat beside Hazel, where I ought to have sat. Was she planning to make the three of them look like a complete family? Well, not on my watch!Just as the maid came with another chair and placed it beside my mother-in-law, I walked toward Shayla and said to her, "Get up, you are sitting on my chair."Everyone's attention became focused on me, except Hazel and Shayla who pretended not to have heard me."What are you saying, Miranda?" Florence, Collins' mom blurt
MIRANDA Florence wiped her face and glared at me, "I knew there was a reason why I always hated you.""I've always hated you too," I shot back. "Or did you think I ever liked you? I am Mrs Hazel Duke; Hazel's wife and that will not change. This should sink into your head and that of any other delusional fool who is building castles in the air.""Miranda!" The oldest man with grey hairs exclaimed. "Even if we are in your house, you can't speak this way.Florence only spoke out of love and concern for her brother. Why are you so disrespectful? Do you realize we are all older than you? Is this what you were taught while growing up?"I scoffed, "Since you are so particular about respect, old man, teach your precious Florence some manners. She should know that disrespecting your host is foolish and uncultured behavior. Someone who claims to be an elder should know better.Enjoy your food."I got up at this point and decided to leave so they could all eat in peace.However, someone caught
HAZELI was angry and I felt betrayed.If Miranda did not take me for granted, why would she keep vital information such as the identity of her ex from me?Did she deliberately do it because she wanted an opportunity to see her first love again? Thanks to her, I was wasting my time overthinking.I was especially angry because I felt like I had to compete with the little loser who called himself my nephew.Thinking about how I had caught him hugging Miranda outside and speaking of how amazing their love was only made me want to punch him in the face but I was restraining myself.Miranda had put me in an annoyingly difficult position. I hated the sight of Collins and wanted to send him out of my house but what would everyone think of me if I did that?It would be more humiliating if I revealed that I felt threatened by my little nephew. How could Miranda not understand the impact of her actions on my fragile heart?I had just learned to trust a woman again and now this? If only she had
HAZEL Miranda squatted and hugged her tummy with both arms as she cried.Quickly, I went to her and held her arms by her shoulders, taking her to her feet."Are you in pain?" I asked anxiously as I wondered if she was having stomach cramps.Her face was wet with her tears and as she nodded, I felt my heart bleed."Where? Your tummy?" I asked.She shook her head and placed her hand on my chest as she sniffled, "My heart. Hazel, what do you want? Do you not love me anymore?"Her question was ridiculous. If I didn't love her, would I be upset by her past relationship with my nephew?"I feel so alone," she cried. "There are so many people against me. They want to separate us and it seems like they are going to succeed. What about all the promises we made to each other? Didn't you tell me that you want us to be together forever? Don't you want that anymore?Hazel, yes I made the mistake of keeping my past from you because I thought it was unnecessary but I regret it so much. If I could tu
MIRANDA I opened my eyes in the morning, stretched my arms, and smiled. Last night, I acted out a little drama and successfully got through to my husband.I was so happy that things were okay. Now, no matter what happened, I would not let any problems arise between us.Once the holidays were over and everyone had left, I would tell him the truth about Princess and help him get through Shayla's betrayal. As long as Hazel was happy, I would always be.But where was he? I got off the bed and was about to search for him when my phone began to ring.Before I could answer the call, it ended. It was a call from Melody and I was about to return it when I noticed that I had gotten a text message.I clicked it open and saw that it was from Hazel and it read, "Good morning, wifey.I'm sorry I was too zealous last night. I didn't want to wake you up because I knew you were still exhausted from our activities.I had to run to the office because something came up. If you need me to get anything fo
MIRANDAI decided to ignore Shayla and left for the dining room. I took my seat and said, "Good morning, everyone.""Good morning, darling," my mother-in-law replied. How was your night?""It was amazing," I replied. "Thanks, mom."Other than the adults, there were about five children in the dining but Princess was the only one who greeted me.Nevertheless, I ate my food quietly as I was starving. Florence kept making eye contact with me each time I looked up. The hate in her eyes was unmistakable and it made me recall what Collins had told me earlier.Speaking about Collins, I realized he wasn't at the dining but that wasn't my problem.Florence couldn't seem to hold herself back anymore and said, "My brother should be here, having breakfast with us but he had no choice but to leave because he has a disgusting wife.""Florence!" Mrs. Hermes from earlier suddenly yelled, startling Florence who almost dropped her spoon.Since my plate was almost empty, I got up and excused myself befor
HAZELAt work, I couldn't stop thinking about Miranda. She dominated my mind and the words she had said to me last night kept ringing in my ears.It had been very difficult to leave her in bed and show up at work in the morning. If I didn't have important work that needed my attention, I would have spent my entire day with her in bed.I rushed through the documents in front of me as I wanted to get it over with and return to my beautiful wife.While I was still working, I got a message from my sister. I didn't want to see her message because she had been getting on my nerves lately.Nevertheless, my curiosity got the better of me. My mom had told me she would be busy at her own house, so I wondered if Florence had upset Miranda in my mother's absence and earned herself a slap in the process.The idea of Miranda putting Florence in her place got me excited and I eventually opened her message. To my surprise, her message was full of pictures of Miranda and Collins with the words, "Guess
MEL I walked into the home of my best friend, Miranda which had been thoroughly decorated. "Mel! You came!" she exclaimed and wanted to get up so she could hug me. "No, you don't need to get up," I said stopping her. "You just brought a new life into this world and should get all the rest you need." She rolled her eyes, "It's been over three days, Mel and I feel quite strong. I gave birth but everyone acts like I'm handicapped. My mom, my mother-in-law, my husband, and now you." I laughed, "They can't help it. You are their princess. Where's everyone by the way?" She sighed, "They are all in my son's room. I instructed the maids to send you here because I wanted us to chat for a little. It's been a while." I sighed, "Yeah. It's been quite hectic, with my pregnancy and all. I rarely even go to the company because Simon takes care of everything and insists I should rest." Miranda smiled, "He is just like Hazel, but I can't blame him. Your stomach is protruding because y
"Wow! I am so happy, Simon." Gia gushed. "I feel as though I am dreaming." "The party will be held at seven," Simon added. "When it's time, I'll pick you up and take you to the venue, okay?" She nodded her head excitedly. "Now, you can go back to your office, I have a lot of work to do." As she walked away, Simon smiled, "Finally, I'm going to put an end to all the drama and enjoy my marriage to the fullest." While in her office, Gia kept daydreaming about how the news of her upcoming wedding to Simon would go viral. Thinking about how sad Mel would be when the time came, doubled her happiness. After spending a little time in her office, she went out and did some shopping, getting herself a nice dress for the party. At six-thirty, she was ready and waiting for Simon to pick her up. She imagined how envious of her, people would be, as well as the various opportunities that would be open to her once she became Simon's wife. If only she had known that Simon would be the o
After leaving the station, Gia went back home. She felt so happy that everything had gone her way and she began to celebrate. She changed the password of her door, just in case Simon wanted to come around to pay her a visit. She had a feeling it would happen anytime soon. When she heard a knock on the door, she opened it a little and saw her boyfriend, Bill outside. "What do you want?" She asked. Bill scoffed, "What sort of stupid question is that? And why did you change the passcode of the door?' She smiled, "Have you forgotten that this is my house? Yes, I paid for this house so I can decide to do whatever I want with it." "What has gotten over you?" He asked her in surprise. "Why are you being so rude? Move away, and let me in." However, she slammed the door on his face. He knocked on the door again while she went straight to the room and began to pack up his things. Putting all his stuff into a bag, she came back, opened the door, and threw his bag outside. "What
Jude, who had spent the night at Riley's, showed up at Mel's company before she even arrived. He was filled with so much anger because of what Riley had told him, and he had four men with him, all armed. He planned to deal with Mel thoroughly. They hid and waited for Mel, until she showed up, went into the company and up to her office. Afterward, Jude led the men, and they all barged into Mel's office. When Mel saw Jude, she rolled her eyes, "What do you want?" He turned and gestured to the men, who took out their guns and pointed them at her. "What does it look like, Mel? I'm going to give you a taste of your own medicine. Simon has divorced you, so he is not here to protect you. Just as you forced Riley at gunpoint to say those things, I am also going to force you to your knees at gunpoint and make you clear her name. I will reveal who you truly are to the entire world." Jude snarled. Mel chuckled, "Is that what Riley told you?" She threw her head back and laughed, "Oh Ju
After spending time thinking about what to do, Sandra finally made up her mind. She called Becky and Aria; the maids she had planted in Simon's house, and asked them to meet with her secretly. Since Simon was not home, it was easy for the maids to sneak out and hurry to meet Sandra at the agreed location.Sandra stared at the bottle in her hand, with the liquid inside it, and said, "I never wanted it to get to this Simon, It's all your fault. You just have to die. As for Gia, she will learn the consequences of double-crossing me. Gia, watch what I will do to you once Simon dies and I take control of the company. Both you and Mel will learn that I am not someone to be trifled with."Simon was in his guest house with Mel when he received a call from the man he had planted in Sandra's house. "Okay, thank you," he replied. After the call ended, he turned to Mel and said, "Finally, Sandra is taking that bold step we wanted her to take." Mel gasped, "Really? I never really thought sh
Sandra got out of her car, her face beaming with excitement as she thought, "Mel has signed the divorce papers, moved out of Simon's house, and found accommodation elsewhere. Meanwhile, Simon is having an affair with his ex, taking her out to dinner, and even getting intimate with her. How would Dad react to this amazing news?" She could not wait to present all the evidence she had before her father. She believed that once he realized that Simon's wife had divorced him due to his infidelity, he would never forgive Simon. Even if he did forgive him, their relationship would never be the same again and nothing could make her happier than that. Of course, that would also pave the way for her to get the company back from Simon. Because once his father gave him the order, Simon, who valued his father's approval and happiness more than anything, would have no choice but to obey him. When Sandra walked into the house and her father saw her, he sighed. She sat beside him and as
After Riley left, Mel and Simon spent some more time together at his guest house, taking pictures, making videos, and talking about their plans before Simon eventually left and went back home. In the morning, while it was still very early, Mel got dressed and ready for work. She packed the fruit Simon had brought the previous day into a bag and left for her father-in-law's house. She planned to go to work from there, so she had to leave early because she had a lot to do at the company. When she arrived at his house, Simon's father was so happy to see her. "I have missed you," he told her. "I thought you guys had gotten so busy that you'd forgotten about me." "That is not possible," Mel told him. "Here, I brought some of your favorite fruits." He smiled, "Why did you go through the trouble? There are more than enough fruits here for me." "I know," Mel replied, "I just... I still wanted to bring something that you would like." "Thank you," he beamed. "You must have your hand
When Mel opened her eyes, Simon was sitting up staring at her with one of his hands gently stroking her hair. "Good morning," She told him. "Morning, Darling," he replied. She was about to speak when he placed his hand on his chest as though he was in pain. She immediately became alarmed and sat up, "What is it?" Hand still on his chest, he smiled, "You are beautiful." She furrowed her brows, "What?" "How can you be so beautiful even in the morning?" He asked. "Just the thought that I won't get to see you until evening makes my heart hurt." She shook her head, "You are impossible. Is that the new pickup line these days?" He threw his head back and laughed, "Seriously, I have no idea. I'm just expressing how you make me feel." She looked at the time, "It's almost 5.am. You should leave now so our plan doesn't get ruined. He sighed, "It seems those two vultures are already awake. I need to be very careful." As he got up to leave, Mel asked him to wait, so she coul
When Simon arrived at his company, he could not stop smiling due to the conversation he earlier had with Mel. However, when Gia walked into his office, dressed in a provocative black dress, the smile on his face disappeared, and he pretended to be sad. She stood on the other side of the table and said, "Simon, I know you told me not to come into your office, but I'm worried about you. I see the way you look sad and worried. For old times' sake, I can't just leave you all by yourself." Simon stared at her from head to toe and said, "I thought I told you that this form of dressing is not allowed in my office." She smiled, "Oh, I actually came with a jacket; it's just that it's in my office." He stared at her exposed thighs and scoffed, inwardly thinking, "I can't believe I was ever in love with someone this shameless." "It seems you have a lot on your mind," she said, turning to the other side and taking a chair with her so she could sit closer to him, "Do you want to talk