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Lora and Ryan arrived at their honeymoon destination, their hearts feeling a little heavy from the revelation about who Jason really was. However, when they stepped into the villa, their hearts jumped with excitement. The place looked like a scene cut right out of a movie. They were in an excluded place on an island. Their villa which was completely made of glass, rested on a cliff and there was a waterfall at a nearby distance with large trees surrounding the villa. It felt like they were living in an all-year-round rainfall area because of the sound of water cascading down the rocks. The scent, the air… everything about the area was just so relaxing, making the couple forget about the whole world. At least at that moment, they wanted to focus only on each other. Anything else didn’t matter. The bedroom was huge and a kingsized bed was in the center with rose petals scattered all over it. A bucket of ice with a bottle of champagne was resting on a small bedside table with two
“Good morning, Mrs Kingsley,” Ryan said in a husky voice, gently nudging Lora so she could wake up. “I know I said we won’t go out today, but I want us to have a special breakfast,” Ryan said, leaning down to kiss Lora’s forehead. “Mmmmm,” Lora moaned, stirring from her sleep. “Let’s eat later, babe. I’m so tired.” “Oh, baby… I know but you have to wake up. I want us to watch the sunrise together and have breakfast. I promise, we will return to bed soon,” Ryan replied, stroking Lora’s hair. The sun was just beginning to rise, casting a golden glow over the villa. Ryan and Lora were still in bed, wrapped in crisp white sheets. They hadn’t slept until a few hours earlier and that was because they couldn’t keep their hands away from each other. Lora slowly opened her eyes, the beautiful view of the lush tropical paradise coming into her view through the floor-to-ceiling windows. She could hear the sound of the waterfall as it blended with the chirping of birds in the distance and t
“Wake up, Mrs Kingsley. We are home,” Ryan said gently, kissing the crown of Lora’s head while she rested her head on his shoulder.The private jet had just landed at the airport in Moonstone City, signalling the end of Ryan and Lora’s honeymoon. They had been away for a good two weeks, travelling from one island to another, creating unforgettable memories. Lora stirred in her sleep before stretching as she replied, “Mmmmm, that was quick. I wanted to sleep some more.” “You can sleep when we get home, baby,” Ryan remarked before helping Lora unbuckle her seatbelt. “Yeah… it feels good to be back home but I’ll miss the heaven we’ve just left,” Lora murmured with a pout. The past two weeks had been magical. Ryan and Lora had fun, exploring, watching sunrises and sunsets, moonlit swims or just having lazy afternoons in secluded villas. It was like they were the only ones who existed in the world… it felt good to spend time together and they made lots and lots of love. But most impor
When Ryan arrived at work, his assistant, Lawrence Scott, came to him and reported, “Sir, there’s an emergency meeting. The shareholders were summoned and they are waiting for you.”Ryan furrowed his eyebrows as he asked, “What’s the meeting about?”“I’m not sure… no one is saying anything,” Lawrence replied. Ryan wondered why the shareholders were suddenly creating trouble after being quiet for many years. It had been a while since they called for an emergency meeting. Usually, this occurs when some of the members are unhappy about something. Unease crept into Ryan and settled in his stomach. He had a bad feeling about this but he walked confidently to the conference room. However, he stilled when he saw someone he wasn’t expecting to see there. Jason. His half-brother. Jason Anderson Kingsley was seated at the far end of the long mahogany table, looking smug. He was dressed in a tailored navy suit, leaning back in his chair with a smirk playing on his lips. The man looked like
##Flashback to two weeks earlier##After leaving Ryan and Lora's wedding, Miles, Celeste, Isabella and Jason returned to the Kingsley mansion. From there, they sat down and Miles took time to learn more about his son. "I'm really sorry you had to grow up on your own. I don't know why your mother acted on her own," Miles said, glancing at Celeste before turning to look at Jason. "I would never abandon my children."He was heartbroken to find out about his other son who was left to grow up away from family. His chest felt heavy and he couldn't shake away the guilt that was creeping into him. Celeste chipped in, "Miles, I told you why I kept him a secret. I wasn't really welcomed by your father and your two children hated me. They never warmed up to me no matter what I did. Imagine if I had a son too, wouldn't his life have been a living hell?" Miles sighed as he thought about it. Indeed, back then, Charles was so annoyed about his decision to marry Celeste that he accused her of bein
“Mommy, why is Daddy not home yet?” Ella asked as they had dinner. “I thought we would eat together now that we are a complete family.” They had been waiting for Ryan for close to an hour but he hadn’t shown up, so they proceeded to eat without him. Lora pursed her lips, looking at her watch. Ryan had promised to always be home for dinner, so she was wondering where he was. She had tried to call him but her calls went unanswered. ‘Is he ok?’ Lora asked herself, worry creeping into her. However, she didn’t show it on her face and smiled at the kids before saying, “I heard there was an emergency meeting earlier today… your father is caught up with work. He will be here soon.” “Ella, Daddy runs a big company, so he’s a busy man. Don’t worry, he will join us for dinner tomorrow,” Ethan told Ella. Ella nodded and smiled, “Ok… I can wait till tomorrow.”After dinner, Lora tried to call Ryan again, however, her call was redirected to voicemail. She furrowed her eyebrows, wondering wha
“Uncle, help me look for my husband,” Lora asked Aiden Davis when she walked into his office. Aiden arched an eyebrow. He hadn’t been expecting his niece, but seeing her look so anxious made him worried. “Don’t tell me he’s already cheating on you,” he said. “No, Uncle… Ryan would never,” Lora stated, pacing back and forth in the office. "I haven't seen him in two days. I have a bad feeling about this. He’s avoiding me and I feel like something serious has happened. I need to find him and talk to him.” “Perhaps he just wants time to sort himself out…” Aiden remarked. “He will come to you when he’s ready-”“And when would that be? What if I go crazy from being anxious and worried? I need to talk to him and find out what the problem is… he’s my partner,” Lora remarked, her stomach twisting and turning. “How can I ignore my husband when he's not acting like himself?” Just like the other night, Ryan returned home very late the previous night. He slept next to Lora and left before she
Lora’s eyes rounded at Ryan, her heart sinking to her feet. “W-what do you mean by that?” She asked in a shaky voice. “Are you sick?” Ryan gulped, a guilty look crossing his face as he answered, “Unfortunately, yes, I am. Before I knew you were alive, I was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome. It’s a rare blood disorder- it’s a disease that’s eating away at my ability to produce healthy blood cells-”“Wait,” Lora interrupted, her face turning pale. “Are you saying you’ve been sick all this while and you didn’t think of telling me?” “I…” Ryan trailed, not knowing what to say. “I didn’t want to burden you with my problems, Lora. I honestly thought I was going to get cured. We had found a donor for the stem cells. I would have told you before doing the transplant but… I received a call from my doctor two days ago that the donor was missing.” ##Flashback to two days ago.##Ryan sat in the oncologist, Doctor Steve’s office, feeling dejected after hearing the news of the missing dono
Hello, lovely readers, We have come to the end of this book and I'm so grateful for the support I've received. Please if you can, support this book by leaving comments in the chapters and showering it with gems. It will help to make it get noticed faster. If you're new to my work, you can check out my other books on my GN profile, I'll highly appreciate it. I will be coming back soon with a new book. I hope you continue to support me even as I challenge myself as an author. Please find me on my socials using my penname. We can interact and get to know each other, haha. Thank you once more and I hope you like my next book. Love you lots. Kisses. Natie.
Months later… “Is it ok if we leave the children with you?" Ryan asked his family. It was the weekend and Ryan and Lora had decided to take the children to the Kingsley mansion so that they could spend time together. Charles Kingsley was already holding little Lucas while Miles was holding Riley. The twins had grown so fast and could now toddle around all over the place. “I don’t mind staying with them if they are this cute,” Charles remarked while making funny faces at little Lucas. Ella and Ethan were already following Diane around, asking her to take them shopping. They seemed not to care that their parents were going to leave them there. Ryan and Lora shared a look before laughing. Lora said, “It seems we are not needed.”“That’s because they know they are in safe hands,” Ryan replied. He called out to Diane, “Sis, you can use my card-”“Come on, I have my own money to spoil my niece and nephew,” Diane replied. “Besides, the only friend I have went abroad and is yet to be ba
Three months later... Adan carried Bianca into their villa. They had just arrived at the place they would spend their honeymoon at and Adan wanted to carry his wife into their villa. He went upstairs and placed her gently on the bed. Looking down at her, he grabbed her left hand and kissed her wedding ring. “I’m happy to be here with you, Mrs Nicholson,” he said in his deep velvety voice. Bianca’s face flushed pink. The last couple of weeks had been nothing but wonderful. Adan had taken her on several dates, they spent a lot of time together and had grown closer during that time. What was supposed to be an arranged loveless marriage turned out to be a marriage that they both wanted, the contract long forgotten. They held a grand wedding in the city and after the reception, they immediately got on a flight, not wanting to delay their honeymoon. After all, tonight was the first time they would make love to each other. Biting her lower lip, Bianca remarked, “I’m happy to be you
Bianca stood face to face with the woman who had run away earlier. She gulped, feeling a lump in her throat as she studied Serena Pierce’s facial features. Bianca had to admit she was beautiful. She had dark brown hair with captivating brown eyes and her body was to die for. “How can I help you?” Bianca asked, sounding a little stiff. She had no idea why the woman who had run away earlier was suddenly in her ward, so she had her guard up. “Are you worried that I’ll steal Adan away from you?” Serena answered with a question. "I heard you're having an arranged marriage."Bianca frowned, irritation flaring through her. She glanced at Serena and replied, “Look, if this is a confrontation about me staying away from Adan then please, save yourself the embarrassment and leave my ward. I don’t want to fight with you. After all, your parents saved my life.” “Do you love Adan?” Serena suddenly asked. "Or are you marrying him because you were forced to?"Silence fell over the place. Bianca
“Say that again,” Adan requested, looking into Bianca’s eyes. His heart was racing at a thousand miles per second and he could feel electric currents coursing through him, an aftereffect of the passionate kiss they just shared. Bianca’s face reddened. She bit her lower lip and sheepishly said, “I have feelings for you.” Adan felt like his heart had jumped out of his chest and soared high up into the sky. A grin formed on his lips, his eyes lit up with joy and he pulled Bianca in for a hug. “I know it will take some time for you to fall in love with me. But I’m willing to wait…” Adan remarked. The two continued to share a hug until someone at the door cleared their throat. “I see you lovebirds are getting closer.” The two pulled away from the hug and glanced at the door to see Lora and Ryan walking into the ward. Lora wore a smile on her face. She looked at her friend and was genuinely happy for her, knowing Bianca already had a crush on Adan but she didn’t want to accept it beca
"What?" Bianca blinked, her heart racing in her chest. Of all things, she didn't expect Adan to ask her such a question. "Didn't you say I wasn't your type?" She questioned, furrowing her eyebrows despite the millions of butterflies that were fluttering in her stomach. Adan chuckled. He cupped Bianca’s face and replied, "I lied. Why wouldn't you be my type? You're gorgeous. You're the most beautiful blonde, green-eyed goddess I've ever seen."Bianca’s face flushed pink. She bit her lower lip and said, "I now know why you're a playboy. Your game is smooth... if I didn't know you, I would have fallen for your charms."Hurt flickered through Adan's eyes. He sighed and replied, "I'm not a playboy. That's just what I made everyone believe." "What?" Bianca laughed. "Come on, Adan. I'm back and ok now. You don't need to come up with lies because you feel guilty for what happened. I already know why you never wanted to get married." "Bee... I don't know how to say this," Adan responded. "
Hours earlier. Bianca felt like she had been hit by a truck. Every cell in her body hurt. Breathing felt like she was swallowing molten lava. She hadn't eaten in the last two days, so she was very low on energy and her injuries were taking long to heal. "Have some soup. You're going to feel better and gain some strength," the elderly woman who had been taking care of Bianca offered. With difficulty, Bianca propped herself up and accepted the bowl. She then ate the soup quickly and the elderly woman watched her with a warm smile on her face. Bianca’s face was still swollen and bruised and it was hard to make out her facial features. "Thank you," Bianca said when she was done, her voice hoarse. "Oh don't mention it," the woman remarked. "My name is Rita Pierce. The man who saved you is my husband, Josaphat Pierce. Don't worry, you're safe here. We live with our daughter, Serena and our three grandchildren." Bianca nodded, looking around and realising she was in a modest bedroom
“Sir, we've found something.” Adan’s heart jumped to his throat at those words. He turned sharply to face one of the IT men, asking, “What did you find?” “Although we can’t see the kidnapper, we can see Miss Jones being forced into a second car on a camera near the blind spot. The license plate was fake, but we are working on tracking the make and the model to know who owns the car,” the IT man reported. “What about the thing I asked you to look into?” Adan inquired. He was referring to the background check he had ordered on Cheryl. “Yes, we did find something,” the IT man replied. “She had withdrawn about a hundred thousand dollars from her savings account two days ago. However, since she didn’t use digital transfer, we can’t trace where the money went. We just have to wait until we find the owner of the second vehicle.” Adan’s jaw clenched and Ryan placed a hand on his shoulder before squeezing it. He said, “We are going to find her, bro.”“I swear, if Cheryl has anything to do
“Are you telling me none of you were able to find my fiancee?” Adan yelled. “Then what the hell am I paying so much money for?” “We are working on it, Sir,” the IT man said. “We need time-”“Time? Does my fiancee have the luxury of time? Each second that she’s out there, she’s in danger. I need to find her as soon as possible,” Adan hissed, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep. It had been two days since Bianca went missing. Two days since the one who had tampered with the CCTV at the club disappeared and two days without any news about Bianca. Adan was going crazy. Who would dare kidnap his fiancee? He didn’t remember having any enemies recently. Could it have been someone with an old grudge? Grudges were not a new thing in the business world. The competition was stiff and winning certain projects meant being hated by the others who wanted the same projects. Adan hired the best hackers in the city to track Bianca. However, they were only able to find the first vehicle she was t