Next Chapter after 4 hours. xoxo Lisa Salman-author
River looked around the small apartment on the first floor that Keanu had arranged for her beforehand. She was supposed to stay low here. The refrigerator was stuffed with canned foods and packets of frozen veggies and fruits. There were juice and beer cans. Readymade pizza and pasta were there. The bathroom had all the essentials that were enough for a few months. The LED was mounted in the bedroom and a collection of DVDs was also there with it. Here she was not allowed to go out. Not even for a minute. She could not take the risk of switching on the lights. Keanu had specifically asked her to keep the apartment dark. He wanted her to wait for her documents there. Once the delivery boy would slip it under the door, she would collect it and would leave the place the very next morning. She was aware that Ashton Garner must have created havoc by now. Though she was told several times that she was supposed to approach Marwick Garner if Keanu was not available. But River could not
River was crawling on the floor. After typing the message to Marwick Garner, she quickly reached the bedroom. She did all this with her phone’s flashlight. Only one thing was on her mind.Her life was in danger, and she had to help herself. It was better to take the risk of calling Marwick Garner instead of getting shot here.She could literally feel death dancing before her eyes.Before she could text more, she heard a clattering sound in the distance. Someone was trying to unlock the door.As the sound of the door unlocking grew louder, River's mind raced with possibilities. Should she try to confront them head-on or make a daring escape?No. Keanu was strictly against it. She remembered Keanu's instructions and realized that deception might be her best chance.She knew the drill. Keanu had taught her well. With lightning speed, she opened the room window to give them the impression that she had escaped from the room.With a quick glance around the room, she spotted a coat hanging
“Dr. Jonas! You need to come to my house.” Marwick said in a controlled voice over the phone, “No. The patient can’t come to you. You need to attend her at my place…”“No, doctor. This patient needs your immediate attention. I will be home within forty to forty-five minutes.” Marwick disconnected the call.On their way back, Gerald drove the car. Marwick was sitting at the back holding the girl in his arms. Gerald had never witnessed this side of Marwick Garner.The only thing Marwick asked him when they were leaving the place was, “Gerald. You need to keep it to yourself. Whatever you saw, nobody should know about it in the office or outside.”He had carried the girl to the car.Now he could see Marwick in the rearview mirror and there was softness on his face. He wished Aniya and Ashley were there so that they all could tease Marwick about the girl.He wanted to laugh loudly. The little she-devil was almost unconscious in Marwick’s arms. She fooled the whole office into believing th
Chad’s wife just told him that she had decided to leave him along with their kids. She needed some changes in her life. She needed to change their surroundings. She needed to change her job, her kids’ school, her neighbors, and … Everything. Chad pleaded to her. Begged her. But now she was not ready to listen. She had made up her mind to leave him. For Chad, it took a single day to lose his self-respect and now he was losing his family overnight. His wife had retired to her room long ago after breaking the news. His kids were also in their bedrooms. He was the only one who was all alone in his bed crying his heart out. He could see hatred in his family’s eyes. After doing so much for them he would be all alone by the morning. There won’t be anyone for him. No one will serve him hot meals with a smile. There will be no kisses and no laughter in the house. His hands balled into fists, and he threw his face on the pillow and let out a loud scream that was muffled by the soft pad.
As River fainted in Marwick's arms, he cradled her delicately, making sure she felt safe and secure even in her unconscious state. The doctor continued his examination, checking her vitals and ensuring there were no immediate physical injuries.Seeing Marwick's tender care for River, the doctor nodded but didn’t say anything. He had never seen the CEO getting worried for anyone, "She had quite an ordeal. It's essential to let her rest now. I am giving her this injection. It will help her to relax and make her sleep more. Her body needs this sleep," he advised, “You need to bring her tomorrow for an x-ray.”“X-Ray?” Marwick had several creases on his forehead, “Why do you suggest that?”“Her fingers,” He pointed towards her right hand, they are swollen. We need to check if she has any broken bones.” Marwick nodded in understanding.The doctor was right. Her fingers had turned red and purple.Marwick nodded again, his eyes never leaving River's pale face, "Thank you for coming here and
“You need to do something,” Chad said to the bald man before him, “After that viral video, I lost my job and family. Please I need your help,” He was sitting in an office in some stinky area where there were several other offices. A so-called renowned investigator used to provide his services here. “I am looking for some connection, sir.” The investigator ran his hand on his bald head, “My tech guy is on vacation. Once he will return, we can easily locate the culprit. Cybercrime cell is already after this person, sir.” Chad paced back and forth in his dimly lit office, frustration and anger evident in his voice. "I don't care about the cybercrime guys. I want to find the person responsible for ruining my life, and I want to make them pay," he growled at him. Sitting on the opposite side of the desk, the renowned investigator listened carefully, taking in Chad's desperate tone, "I understand your frustration, but you need to be patient. Rushing into things might make matters worse,"
The next morning, River slowly opened her eyes, expecting to see Marwick lying beside her as they had fallen asleep together. But to her surprise, the bed was empty. Confusion and disappointment were showing on her face as she wondered where he had gone.Thankfully she felt better his morning. In her subconscious, she knew she was safe here, even if Marwick was not present.Shaking her head, River slowly got up from the bed, wincing as she gave her hand a little shake. Her fingers were still sore from the previous night's ordeal."Gosh! This hurts, man," she muttered to herself, frustration evident in her voice. All she wanted was a shower to feel a little more human again.While gritting her teeth in pain, she made her way to the bathroom, but even that simple task proved to be another challenge.As she stepped into the bathroom, she gasped in surprise.It was like stepping into a luxury spa. The bathroom was a masterpiece of design enough to take her breath away. The fittings were
As the middle-aged maid skillfully helped her in dressing up and styling her hair. River felt nervous while sitting in front of the dresser.The mention of Marwick wanting her to wear a scarf to partially cover her face added to her curiosity. Before she could express any concerns, Marwick entered the room, his presence immediately making her heart race in her chest.He ran a slow gaze over her, and she felt a blush creeping up her cheeks, suddenly feeling self-conscious under his intense gaze.She was wearing a simple blue skirt with a white blouse, chosen for her by the maid, which perfectly complemented her azure eyes. The kind woman even helped her with the black stockings. Marwick gestured for the maid to leave, and she did so with a knowing smile, leaving the two of them alone.Marwick approached her, and River found herself glancing at him through the mirror, unable to maintain direct eye contact. Her heart rate accelerated as he spoke."Your life is in danger," he began his vo
(2 years later) “I went to the school today. The management is quite happy with Mimi’s progress,” Arabella told Jeff’s partner, Fione who moved to their house for her girls’ better education and job opportunities. Two years back, Marwick had offered Fiona to join his company. Even if she wouldn’t have moved here, Marwick had promised her long ago that he would take responsibility for Jeff’s family in his absence. Whether his girlfriend wanted to do a job or some business or even if she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. He had promised himself that he would support the family as much as he could. There was an annex at a little distance from their giant house that was built especially for the family. “You should start dating, Fiona. You are still young,” the girl smiled and shook her head. There was a sketch of Jeff’s older daughter that was made by Arabella as promised to Mimi’s father. “Where are the twins?” Arabella asked her, looking around. “Oh, they just went to sleep. You wer
(Aniya: One month later)“Finally, we are here,” Aniya told Derek who held her hand and leaned to kiss her cheek.“Yeah. Finally!” He looked happy too. It was almost a dream come true. His dream girl was at last by his side.They had just landed at the Sydney Airport and they both knew that their fate had brought them here. The same fate that brought them together.Aniya took out her phone when it vibrated. She had received millions in her bank account. Her mouth was hung open.There was a message from Gerald.“Take it as your gift from Garner Empire. I know you will never accept it. But this is a joint gift from me, Ashley, and Marwick so that you can start your life without worry.”Aniya felt strange. As a director, Derek did receive a good chunk of his due funds after he resigned. But why Gerald, Ashley, and Marwick were giving her so much money? For God's sake, this meant only one thing. Now she was a billionaire.“What’s the matter, darling?” Derek asked her while walking to the
“What? Resign?” Gerald was looking at Aniya open-mouthed, “Are you nuts? Who makes such impulsive decisions, Aniya?” “I do!” Aniya lifted her chin up and there was this stubbornness evident on her face, “I have decided to follow him.” She flipped back her shoulder-length hair with style. That same Aniya style. Her smile did waver a bit when she felt Gerald’s pointed gaze on her face. “What?” She sounded defensive, “People do leave jobs and shift to other countries. I need to accompany him if we want a future together. I am quite sure my happiness lies with him.” “You were quite sure when you followed Marwick here and packed up your cleaning business. Just to be a receptionist in his office.” Gerald pointed out and that brought rage on her face. “Mr. Gerald Oliver. Are you questioning my decisions?” she cocked up a challenging brow at him. “No, Aniya,” Gerald leaned back in Marwick’s seat. After he left for Turkey, Gerald was taking care of everything behind him, “I am your frie
“Yes?” Ashton just got done fuc*king a dame and now he was smoking while scrolling his phone when he got this call.“Sir. I have bomb news.” The man on the other side told him with excitement. “Shoot!” he pressed the cigarette between his finger and thumb and flipped it towards the ashtray on the nightstand. The girl beside him was sleeping without bothering to cover herself and Ashton's hand was stroking her a*ss after getting rid of the cigarette. “It’s about your son, Mr. Ashton. Marwick Garner,”Ashton threw a quick glance towards the girl and decided to leave the room. He came out while knotting the robe around his gown.“I told you not to bother me about my son. I just wanted to know about Arabella Den. She is fuc*king eighteen and I was thinking that Marwick must have gotten rid of her by now.But no. She is still residing there.” Frustration was evident in his tone. “Or maybe my son is also taking advantage of her beauty,” Ashton said with a low chuckle. Arabella Den. E
From a very young age, he had been taking care of his business. His father being a womanizer could never pay attention to the family.As a result, Marwick had an indecisive mother who could never take a stand for her husband’s cheating.Marwick Garner started acting like a man of his family from his teens. His grandfather started trusting him and did something that he could never do to his son.He gave the business reins to Marwick without any interference. Ashton Garner got furious. He could never enjoy his father’s money this freely. And just when he thought he would soon have everything. All the wealth was handed over to Marwick Garner on a silver platter.Marwick worked hard and took the business to an international level. He had this knack for business from a very young age. Nobody could manipulate him that easily.But this girl River Brown?She took advantage of her sickness. She used him as a pawn and convinced him to go to Turkey. He thought, the couple really needed help.How
“So, are you seriously going to Turkey? Just to settle the couple?” Gerald asked him when Marwick was putting his passport in a leather pouch, “I can’t believe it. Don’t you think it’s an absurd demand?”“Sir. I have packed your bags.” Marwick’s butler informed him, “Please let me know if you need any more assistance,”Marwick dismissed him with a slight shake of his head and looked towards Gerald.“I have a very trustworthy staff, but I would really appreciate it if you stop mentioning the country repeatedly. The newly married couple might be dead due to your carelessness,” Marwick hissed but Gerald knew why he was frustrated.“Are you scared that you might bump into her?” Marwick zipped the pouch as if he wanted to zip Gerald’s mouth.“Nobody knows which city she flew to. She didn’t even inform River or Keanu about her whereabouts. I am not going for her. I am going for River and Keanu. Will help them initially and return. I have a business to run. Remember?”He went into the bathro
Aniya frowned and looked at Derek when someone whispered from behind, “The bride seems to be a cancer survivor. Such a brave girl she is.” That was the moment Aniya noticed her newly grown short hair under the veil.“Derek,” she breathed after leaning towards Derek.“I know, love. I know. We will talk about it later,” Derek kissed her hand lightly and looked ahead to witness the vows. ***“You may now kiss the bride,” The priest announced, and River kneeled in front of the wheelchair, where Keanu lifted her veil with a teary chuckle and bent down to kiss the bride.The small audience started cheering for them.“I love you so much,” Keanu almost choked on his tears. River wiped his cheeks and chuckled.“I love you too, Mr. Keanu. I am lucky to have you in my life. As my lover and as my husband.”“Not lucky as me, Mrs. Keanu,” He bent again to kiss his bride. They both were not embarrassed to cry and kissing each other again and again in front of a bunch of people.“Thank you so much.”
(1 month later)Aniya was standing before a full-length mirror pouting at her image. She lifted her black hair off her neck to examine herself, “I think a bun at the top will look more suitable,”The bathroom door opened, and Derek stepped out with a towel around him. He ran a slow gaze at Aniya who was wearing a blush pink gown that flowed just below her knees. The off-shoulder neckline that was lined with lace was giving her an ethereal look.He tried his best to take his eyes off her and started dressing up. After buttoning up his tailored charcoal gray suit jacket, he smirked.She was still confused about her hairstyle.“Whatever style you will decide, believe me. You will ace it.” He said and started brushing his fingers through his partially wet hair.When she didn’t respond and the pout stayed there on her lips, he walked up behind her and placed his hands on her bare shoulders. “What’s the fuss about?” he muttered close to her ear, causing goosebumps on her skin.“I can’t deci
Marwick and Keanu got busy with River. They used to feed her bone broth, fruits, and veggies. The daily multivitamin intake was a must. River had to be strong enough to get the chemo. Her next head shave was also due. The first one was done by Keanu. Garner Empire was still bustling with people and business. Gerald was taking care of all the meetings and Aniya was managing all the online commitments along with Mr. Penks. They wanted to give maximum time to Marwick so that he could spend most of his time with River. “River. Now don’t act like a bratty kid,” he heard Keanu’s stern voice who was trying to feed chicken corn soup to River. “I can’t. It’s been so many days since I last ate a burger or a pizza,” she had been puking everything and the doctor had asked them to feed her soft food. At last, Marwick who was working on his laptop got on his feet and placed the laptop aside, “Give it to me,” Marwick reached out to hold the bowl, “If you have any errands to run then you can g