SARAYA'S POVI stood in front of the mirror, struggling to gather my hair into a ponytail, but the knots kept getting in the way."Ugh," I muttered under my breath, running my fingers through the mess I've made of my hair."Need help with that?"I turned around to see Mary standing behind me.I smiled. "I could use all the help I can get."Mary chuckled softly, taking the brush from my hand. "Let me handle this."I sat down, letting her work through the tangles I’d created."You're so good at this," I said, watching her expertly untangle my hair."You know," she began, a soft smile tugging at her lips, "after I had Evan, I always wanted a daughter but was too scared to try again." Her voice softened and she had this vulnerable look on her face."When he was little, I used to style his hair all the time. It feels like..." Her voice faltered, and she sniffed. "I'm reliving those moments of Evan’s childhood right now.""Mary..." I whispered, unsure of what to say."And we are done," she
MATILDA'S POV."Gosh! Girl, you're something else." Tessy covered her mouth and her eyes widened. "Your tactics gives me goosebumps, it's the way you involved Alex without spilling the milk for me."I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, I'm sure one way or the other, my message would have been relayed to Saraya." Tessy chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. "Poor girl, I feel so bad for her."I rolled her eyes, "you feel bad for her? I can't believe you're saying that right now." I was disappointed and I didn't hide it. "So what about me?" I asked. "You don't feel bad for me?""Easy girl, you know, not many people can pull off what you just did. Saraya is probably in one corner crying her eyes out as we speak.""That’s the plan," I said. "Not only to make her cry but also to get her to retreat from my man. I can't share Arlan with any other woman and definitely not with her.""So tell me, have Arlan come in terms with being a father and a husband?"A smile played on my lips. "What other
SARAYA'S POV.The door behind opened but I was just too weak to see who it was. It's not like I cared about who came in or went out. I was already lost in a world of my own.My room was dark and the curtain were drawn to give me the feel of my state: lonely and dark. I could only close my eyes that way.I felt a hand on my hair and sniff a feminine scent. I don't need to be told who it was.She caressed my hair gently. "You wouldn't leave your room, are you okay?" She asked gently.I couldn't reply because I was choked on my tears."Good gracious, are you crying?" Mary asked alarmed. She switched on the lamp beside the bed. "What is this about?" She asked.I only pulled her close and cried out loudly, fortunately she didn't press any further. She just allowed me in her embrace and patted my back.Minutes passed as I sobbed into Mary’s embrace. My chest heaved with the effort of crying, but I couldn’t stop. It was as if every emotion I’d buried for days, weeks, maybe months, had erupte
ALEX'S POV:"Girls time ended sooner than expected." I said teasing Mary."Oh, yes." Mary replied. "Saraya was feeling dizzy and we decided to end our rendezvous sooner.""Dizzy?" I asked alarmed. "I think I should call the doctor.""Easy, she is fine, I just helped her to bed now, let's watch her for sometime." Mary said and started going through the items she had bought."Aren't these a little too much?" I asked."I bought a wallet for Arlan and some baby items for Matilda, you should invite her and Arlan together for Christmas." She said going through the items. "It would be nice to have both of around."I shook my head. "I don't think that is a good idea."Matilda gave me look that suggested I'm was saying gibberish. "What do you mean by that?""Those two are currently like cat and rat and I think inviting them both before they sort out their differences isn't a good idea."Mary stopped what she was doing and turned to me completely. "What is the bone of contention?""I'd rather n
ARLAN'S POVI stood in front of Matilda's apartment, my hands in my jackets, envisaging how our discussion would turn out. "Let's do this." I said, unsure if I was ready for Matilda's tantrums.Though I know her password, I decided against intruding her privacy and pressed the doorbell instead."Arlan!" She rolled her eyes in a disgusting way, the moment she opened the door. "To whom do I owe this visit?""Can I come in?" I asked."Of course." She opened the door wide and stepped aside. "I'm not like you who would rather lock others out because of your differences."I stepped inside, ignoring her words before meeting her gaze. "We need to talk," I said plainly. "About the baby.""Of course. What about the baby?" She asked and walked pass me to have her seat."I wanted to discuss how we would take care of everything," I explained. "Both pre-natal and post-natal care. The responsibility is ours, and I want to ensure you and the child are taken care of properly." I replied, sitting oppos
MATILDA'S POV.I grabbed the lamp stand beside my bed and threw it hard against the wall. "Fuck!" I screamed. I couldn't believe he had the guts to turn me down despite threatening him with the child.I paced around, "I have to do something and do it fast.""I can't let him have his way, he either be with me or I'll make the rest of his life miserable." I said angrily."Its time to stop beating round the beat and find a way of getting Saraya out of the way, once she is out of the way, Arlan would have no other choice than to crawl back to me on his feet."Just then, an idea hit me, making me smile broadly. "Let's do everything we can, Matilda."**The next morning, I stood outside the Newman's mansion, my pulse racing as I smoothed down my tailored coat.The biting December snow couldn’t compare to the chill in my heart. "I'll retrieve what is rightfully mine and render you totally defenceless, Saraya Newman."I pressed the doorbell and the door opened within the twinkle of an eye, an
SARAYA'S POVMy body shivered with anger as I stormed into my room, slamming the door behind me. "That crazy bitch," I hissed under my breath. "How dare she show her face here!"I paced the room, my hands clenched into fists. "What else does she want from me? Hasn’t she done enough already?"The memory of her smug expression as she wept those crocodile tears flashed in my mind, and my stomach churned. It was clear she was up to something, and the thought of being dragged into her schemes made my blood boil.A soft knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. "Saraya, are you decent?" Mary’s voice called from the other side.I sighed, forcing myself to take a calming breath. "Come in."Mary entered, her warm smile doing little to ease the tension in my chest. "You’re not dressed yet," she observed, her tone light."I’ll get to it," I replied flatly, crossing my arms over my chest.Mary stepped closer, her expression softening. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"I hesitated, then nodded. "
ARLAN'S POV:I'd been ushered into Saraya's office by Peter, the moment I arrived.I sat on the cushion, awaiting her arrival. Her call earlier was the first time I've heard her voice since her outburst during the meeting.It was overwhelming, I couldn't afford to keep her waiting and had pend everything scheduled for that morning to see her.The moment I heard footsteps approaching, I got on my feet. The door opened. "Butter ..." I had hardly completed my words when I saw another figure entered instead. "Matilda?" I was more than shocked to see her standing right in front of me instead of Saraya.Rolling her eyes and dropping her bag right on the cushion opposite me. "Yes, it's me." She replied. "You should see your face, you look like you've seen a ghost.""And what are you doing here?" I asked when the shock finally wore off my face.Saraya showed up, "she is with me." She replied, her voice cold."What?" I couldn't believe my ears. "And why would you two come ....""Because I'm ti
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
DOMINIC'S POV.The flight touched down at the airport and I soon checked out."Saraya, here I come!" I screamed out drawing stares from onlookers but I didn't care.I bought out my phone. "Okay, let's do this." I said, dialling her phone. It rang a few times but there was no reply. "Could she be busy at the moment?" I thought to myself, wondering why she wasn't picking I flagged a taxi down, "take me the closest and coziest hotel around, I'm so tired."The taxi ride was quiet, but my mind wasn’t. My heart raced faster than the car, my thoughts were fixated on one person—Saraya. I could help but wonder how would she react when she see me? Would she be surprised? Shocked? Angry?I leaned back in the seat, running a hand through my hair. “She’ll probably be mad at first,” I muttered under my breath. Saraya wasn’t the type to welcome unexpected visitors with open arms, especially not when she had told me that the last time I showed you expectedly on Christmas day. But I silently hoped wi
ALEX'S POV.I patted his back awkwardly, the strength of his hug catching me off guard. “I’m here, Arlan. I’m okay now.”He pulled back just enough to look me in the eyes. “Do you have any idea of how I felt when you collapsed? I couldn't focus knowing fully well it would be on me if you never wake up?”“I’m sorry I got you and everyone worried.” The words came out in a whisper, guilt settling in my chest.“You’re sorry?” He shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous. Its all my fault, I should've told you everything...” His voice broke again, and he rubbed a hand across his face.I tried for a weak smile. "It's okay." I replied. "It would have been difficult if I were in your shoes too."“Thank you for coming around,” he said, but a small, relieved laugh slipped out anyway.I gestured to the chair by my bed. “Sit down before you fall over. You look like you haven’t slept in days.” I said pointing the eye bags beneath his eyes.“I haven’t,” he admitted, sinking into the chair. His elbows re