ARLAN'S POV.I checked the time again and it was 1:42p.m. "Why is she not here yet?" I asked looking around again."Look who we have here?" Ian called out. "Saraya's knight in shining armour."I sighed before turning around, knowing fully well whose voice it was.I chuckled. "Ian, I see you're here.""Of course, I initiated the meeting to see your sweetheart being usurp from her seat." Ian said with a smug on his lips."You won't succeed." I told him in a low tone, glaring at him."You should stop lying to yourself." Ian patted my shoulder, leaning closer. "Alex is not here and you're the last person she wants to see now, after all, you're the origin of her woes."I tightened my fist and Ian eyes followed. "Wow, easy man." He said, taking two steps away from me. "See you in the boardroom." He waved at me and walked away.At exactly 1:56p.m, I saw her walked in. Picking up my pace, I called out, "Saraya!"She stopped abruptly, turning to face me. Her eyes widened for a split second bef
SARAYA'S POV."Saraya, wait!" I heard arlan called from behind but didn't stop. I entered the elevator and he joined me just before the door would close."Why did you decide to resign?" He asked. "Alex wouldn't have want this.""This seems to be the best option at this time, I would rather resign honorably than be ousted out in shame. As for my father, he will realize I did what is best for me. Everyone can drop their expectations of me now and let me breath.""Sara ..." Arlan's voice softened as he said my name, and the air between us became tensed.I crossed my arms, leaning against the elevator wall, refusing to meet his gaze. "Don't, Arlan. Don't make this harder than it already is.""You think running away is what's best for you?" he pressed."It's not running away," I snapped, my voice hard. "It's survival. The threats, the judgment... it's suffocating. I won't wait around for them to strip me of what remains of my dignity." My jaw clenched. "You don't understand—""I understan
MARY'S POV.The moment I closed the door behind me, wide smile appeared on my way. "Yes!" I clapped my hands. "Saraya is out of the way, I must also get Ian out of the way."Everything was falling in place and I couldn't be more happier. I grabbed a bottle of wine from the bar attached to my bedroom.I didn’t know how yet, but I would find a way. I always did. There were still a few pieces left to move on the board, and Ian was one of the biggest obstacles standing between me and the life I wanted.He isn't as easily manipulated as Saraya had been, but that just made it more interesting. If there was one thing I knew how to do, it was manipulate.I set the glass down on the bar and ran my fingers through my hair. Recalling how everything had started.* FOUR YEARS AGO*I sat beside Alex’s bed, my lean fingers sliding into his, holding his hand. The antiseptic smell of the hospital filled my nostrils making me feel sick but I wouldn't leave his side.I hated seeing him like this way pal
SARAYA'S POV."I'll be leaving for Colorado today." I announced. My grandmother and Mary exchanged quick glances with surprise written on their faces.I could tell what was on that mind with their facial expressions."What do you mean by that?" Mary asked. "How long have you been planning to leave?" She quickly added, adjusting herself on her seat."I made up my mind yesterday." I replied."That's better for the company and Alex's recovery, you made a good choice. I'm so proud of you." Ian interjected from the stairs while approaching us."I don't need your option so can you stop interfering?" I retorted, training towards his direction.Ian raise his hands in the air. "As you wish." He sat down. "But I must say I'm proud of your decision."I wanted to say something but was interrupted by my grandmother."How long are you going to be in Colorado for?" My grandmother finally spoke."Mother!" Mary interjected. "Don't tell me you're allowing her to go?" She protested.My grandmother turne
DOMINIC'S POV.I increased my pace. Before Saraya's call, Mary had called me and told me about Saraya's plan to leave.I had panicked and was already on my way to her. Mary had told me she would see what she can do but I couldn't just sit back and wait for her to do something.Although I had no excuse for showing up unexpectedly and knew it could get her angry, I didn't mind as that was the least of my worries. Imagine my relief when Saraya called me. When I pulled up to Saraya’s place, she was already waiting outside, her bag slung over her shoulder. She looked a little lost, like she was caught between running and staying, and something about it made me want to pull her into a hug."Hey," I said, stepping out of the car. She gave me a small smile.I spread my arms and she leaned in for a quick hug."Thanks for coming," she said softly, climbing into the passenger seat."No way I’d let you leave without seeing you," I replied, trying to lighten the mood.She just nodded, looking out
SARAYA'S POV."Thanks for the meal, ma'am." I turned to Dominic's mom. "I really enjoyed myself, such a shame, I have to leave now.""Come soon again, child." His mother said. "Then I will prepare different delicacies for you to enjoy.""I can't wait.""Why do I feel like my mom is going to forget all about me soon because of you?" Dominic asked.I stuck my tongue out. "Deal with it." I cupped my face. "It's not my fault, I'm so loveable."Dominic nodded. "You're right about that."I chuckled at Dominic's response before leaning down to peck his mother on the cheek, then turned to his father to do the same. "Thank you for having me, sir. I truly appreciate it," I said with a genuine smile."You're always welcome, Saraya. Don't let this guy give you a hard time," his father replied with a wink, glancing at Dominic."Trust me, he wouldn't dare," I teased.Dominic shook his head with a smirk. "Alright, enough chit-chat. We need to head out if we're going to make it to the airport on time
SARAYA'S POV.The flight to Colorado was uneventful, but by the time I stepped off the plane, I was so exhausted.The crisp air hit my face as I walked toward the arrival gate, I spread my arms and closed my eyes, taking in the fresh breath of Colorado. "Welcome back home, Saraya." I told myself and slowly opened my eyes."Saraya!"I turned to the direction of the familiar voice to see Gabby waving at me. I chuckled and waved at her. As soon as I got close, she pulled me into one of her signature hugs, tight and full of affection.“Oh, look at you,” she said, stepping back to get a better look at me. Her eyes gave way to concern. “You’ve lost so much weight. What is going on with you? Don't tell me your father told you to come only to starve you?”"Trust me, he takes very good care of me." I told her.She tilted her head. "More than I do?" She asked and I could hear the jealousy in her voice.I laughed hard. "He never would be able to match up to you, of course." I replied drawing a s
MARY'S POV.It was late when I arrived at the park. I switched off the ignition but not without blinking my rear lights twice and he did the same.That was the signal I needed, I got out of my car and he did the same. He was obviously angry and I could tell it was from keeping him waiting."You're late. Why are you just coming?"I rolled my eyes. "I'm here now, aren't I?" I asked. "Tell me why you called me out, it's late already.""I have some questions bothering me." He said."Then you should have texted me." I replied him, a flare of anger rising within me."I wanted to see your eyes while asking you because eyes don't lie, Mary.""Whatever, since I'm here." I adjusted my fur cardigan. "I will do the questioning first and if there's time, I can listen to yours. Tell me how it went."I saw him scoffed, containing his anger but I didn't care one bit. "I asked her out today." He admitted.A smirk spread on my lips. "I've always known you've got it in you, Dominic. What was her reactio
IAN'S POV.I turned to face her, my jaw tightening. “Grandmother, you have no idea...”She held up a hand, silencing me. “I heard enough, Ian.”Mary let out shaky whimpers but not without giving a quick mockery smile on seeing my grandmother's burst in and her reaction towards me.Somehow I felt like I had fell for her trick again with my impatience. Mary was a master manipulator, and my grandmother had walked in just in time to save her.I clenched my fists as I turned to face my grandmother. My pulse was pounding, I could barely contain my anger."Grandma, you don't understand," I said, forcing myself to stay calm.She looked at me sternly. "Oh, I understand plenty, Ian. I see exactly what's happening here. Even after talking to you, you still made your way down here to accuse. I overheard your conversation, despite her genuine plead for you to stop, you keep coming hard at her."Mary sniffled, wiping at her already tear-streaked face. "Mother, I don't know why he is doing this to
ISLA’S POVAs soon as Mary left, I reached for my phone and called Ian. “Come to my room now.”He didn’t ask why. Within minutes, he was standing in front of me, looking as confident as ever.I kept my hands folded behind my back, studying him carefully. “What do you think you’re doing, Ian?”His expression remained neutral. “I don’t understand what you mean, Grandmother.”I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t play games with me. What is this about bugging Mary’s phone and threatening her in the middle of the night?”He let out a short laugh. “Is that all she told you?” He asked.I took a step closer. “You're not even denying it? I guess it's true then.”Ian shrugged. “I did what I had to do. Mary’s been scheming behind everyone’s back. She’s manipulating things to her advantage. I just evened the playing field.”I exhaled sharply, shaking my head. “Let's assume you're right, do you think blackmail is the way to do that?” I asked. "What happens to coming to me?" I added."You've weakened grandma
MARY'S POVI didn't sleep a wink the entire night, I kept on thinking of what I could do to gain leverage over Ian.The alarm rang on my bedside interrupting my thoughts. I angrily pressed the off button. "Shut the fuck up!" I yelled at the bed clock.Taking a deep breath, I got up from bed and walked to the mirror and studied my reflection. I ruffled my hair, letting it fall messily around my face, then rubbed my pale eyes until they looked swollen. My nightgown was already slightly wrinkled, which worked in my favor. "This looks perfect." I said, taking in my disheveled look.Once I was satisfied with my appearance, I stepped out of my room and walked down the long hallway to Isla’s room. My footsteps were slow, hesitant, like a woman in labour.I needed to get in character and I was doing a great job. When I reached her door, I didn’t bother knocking. I turned the handle and pushed it open, letting the door slam against the wall.Isla jolted awake, her eyes wide with shock as she
SARAYA'S POV.I turned to my side when I noticed a figure hovering over me. I stirred and open my eyes and couldn't make sense of who it was so I screamed."Easy, it's me." Gabby held me."You scared me" I said breathing heavily. "What's going on?""You were sleeping longer than expected, it's already 10a.m in the morning so I came to check on you." She explained."What? 10a.m?"Gabby stood up and drew off the curtains and opened the window. "You believe me now?"I quickly grabbed my phone, there I saw Dominic has replied my message and he had also called severally.I sat up quickly, my heart racing as I unlocked my phone. I read his message and he had also sent another message about an hour ago.Dominic: Hey, how are you doing? I called a few times. Call me back when you see this.Guilt settled in my stomach. I had been so lost in sleep that I hadn’t heard my phone ring. I tapped on his contact and called him back, my fingers trembling slightly.Gabby sat on the edge of my bed, watch
MARY'S POV."That little rat, I wish I could just yank his neck off his body this instant. How dare he spy on me?" I asked breathing heavily at the realization that I was about to drag down.Arlan aside, if Isla gets to find out about this, she will never look at me the same way again."I've built my reputation to be a submissive wife, respectful daughter in law and dutiful mother and all of that is about to come crashing down because of that idiot! I can't stand that let that happen." I told myself.I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I paced the room. "I have to do something very fast." I kept reminding myself as several thoughts ran through my mind but none of my ideas were good enough for the situation I had found myself.Ian thought he had me cornered, thought he had the upper hand? "That fool had no idea who he is dealing with, I will show him that I'm not to be disrespected.""But you have until tomorrow morning, what can you do before then?" A tiny voice ask
IAN'S POV."Awesome," I clapped my hands. "So Mary intends using Dominic to spy on Saraya. Guess I'm not the only one who is worked up about Saraya's existence." I said to myself."I've known she didn't care for Saraya like she claims to but I don't know Saraya made her so insecure she would go all the way.""Let's shake her up a little with this." I said staring at my phone before replaying the voice note."Isn't it too early to confront her? What if it goes down south?" A voice said in my head. "While it's still early, time is not on my side. With the way the company's shares have been plummeting since I took over, it's just a matter of time before those punch of greedy people start discussing my impeachment.""I'm in no position to consider the timing, even if it's just a straw, I have to grap it tightly with both hands and figure out a way to survive."I stood up and headed to her room with a victorious smile. "Let's see how she would react."I knocked twice on the door, taking a
SARAYA'S POV.I walked in feeling exhausted, at this point, there was no more tears coming out from my eyes.Gabby who had been waiting quickly rushed to me. "You gave me quite a scare, you wouldn't pick your phone..." She was saying when she finally looked up and saw my face. "Oh my, what happened?"I sank into her arms. "I hurt him, Gabby. I did."Gabby wrapped her arms around me, her grip firm and reassuring. "Who did you hurt?" she asked gently, stroking my hair."Dominic," I whispered, my voice hoarse. "He—he told me again he had feelings for me, and I... I couldn’t give him what he wanted."Gabby sighed, pulling back slightly to look me in the eyes. "Saraya, it’s not your fault. You can’t force yourself to love someone just because they love you.""But he’s been nothing but good to me," I said, my voice breaking. "He was there when I needed someone, when I was at my lowest. And instead of appreciating him the way he deserves, I—""You were honest," Gabby interrupted. "And that’s
SARAYA'S POV."Dominic, ever since I met you, you've been a good person and friend to me. I wouldn't want to jeopardize our friendship.""What are you scared of?" He asked."I'm scared of everything!" I snapped. "Letting someone new in and being vulnerable to them is something I don't want to do anytime soon.""I think it's time you let go.""What?" I asked like I didn't hear him the first time."I said it's time you let go of your obsession with Arlan." He said firmly, making me nervous. "He is never going to be yours, he is expecting a child with Matilda and if my memory serves me correctly, she should put to bed anytime from now."The realization in his words made my heart go cold. Dominic must've noticed how his words got to me but he didn't stop."Are you really going to stand between a father and a child because of your obsession?" He added.I felt the sting of his words like a slap across my face. Obsession? Is that what he thought this was?I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my
DOMINIC'S POV."Saraya...""Dominic, what's going on?" She asked sounding so worried. "I just got to my phone and saw your calls and message. Is my dad okay? Are you okay? Is everyone fine?""Calm down, princess." I managed to break through her worrisome questions. "I came to see you.""What?" She said. My actions took her by surprise just I had expected. "You mean you came all the way from Sydney to Colorado just to see me?" She asked like she needed to be sure."That's correct." I affirmed."Dom...""I know what you want to say but you can chastise me for showing up unexpectedly when you see me. What do you say?" I suggested, hoping she would agree.There was silence on the other end. I could almost see the way her brows would be furrowing right now, the way she’d bite her lower lip when she was trying to process something she didn’t see coming.I held my breath, waiting.“Dominic…” she finally said, her voice softer this time. “Why do you have to make such trip when we could have e