DOMINIC'S POV.I walked up to the man whom Saraya had just walked out on, staring at him dangerously.I had followed her to the restaurant and my heart broke when I saw she was having a date. Imagine how elated I become when the date ended on a bad note.But I wasn't one to let things to end that way. "I should rub in some salt in the injury before leaving." I had thought to myself."Who are you?" He asked, adjusting his glasses."You see the lady that just walked out on you right now, I'll advice you stop all communications with her." I declared."And how dare you tell me what to do?" He stuttered while trying to put on a strong font.I seized his collar. "I dare to do whatever I want, Saraya is mine and mine alone. You don't stand a chance anyways."He swallowed hard, his eyes darting to the exit. He wasn’t going to argue, not with the deadly look on my face.Satisfied, I released him with a shove, watching as he stumbled back. He didn’t say another word as he turned and practically
ISLA'S POV."What do you think you're doing?" I screamed at Saraya.Saraya stared at me and sighed. "Grandma, can you please not do this tonight?" She pleaded. "I'm exhausted as it is.""Then you should gotten your acts together instead of ruining your date your Toby." I snapped."Trust me when I say I did the right thing walking out on him." Saraya replied defiantly. "I'm already mad at myself for tolerating his respect in the first place when I should walked out earlier.""Of course, not only did you walk out of him. You got your friend to threaten him as well." I clapped my hands. "Good job, Saraya."Saraya blinked her eyes severally. "Toby told you my friend threatened him?" She asked in an unbelievable tone."You heard me right.""Toby is lying, Dominic wasn't even with us in the restaurant and even if by some sheer of coincidence he was, he wouldn't have done that." Saraya replied. "So you're saying Toby lied when you actually showed up with some sort of stranger.""That strang
MATILDA'S POV.I pulled Tessy into a hug the moment she stepped in. "So good to see you again, I've missed you." I confessed.Tessy blushed. "Never thought I’d hear you admit that so willingly," she teased.I grinned. "Come on in.""Thank you," Tessy replied, stepping into my office and started looking around. "This is my first time coming to your place of work, and I must say, you've done exceptionally well for yourself."I couldn’t help but smile at the compliment. "Now, I'm flattered," I said. "Come in and have your seat."Before I could say more, my phone buzzed with an incoming call. I glanced down and saw Arlan's name flashing across the screen. A wave of annoyance hit me.Tessy noticed my reaction. "Everything okay?" she asked.I didn’t even answer her; I just ended the call with a swipe of my finger. "Arlan," I muttered under my breath. "He’s got some nerve.""Maybe you should hear him out?" Tessy suggested gently. "He is the father of your child after all."I shook my head sh
SARAYA'S POV.The loud buzz of my alarm jolted me awake. I fumbled for my phone and hit the stop button, squinting at the screen. Then it hit me—I’d promised to call Mary.I sat up, dialed her number, and waited. It rang twice before someone picked up.“Hello?” Dad’s voice came through.“Dad? Why are you answering Mary’s phone?” I asked, confused.There was a pause. “Saraya… Mary’s father passed away early this morning.”My stomach dropped. “Oh no. What happened?”“He was sick for a while. It happened suddenly,” Dad explained, his voice heavy. “She cried for hours. I just managed to get her to sleep.”I covered my mouth, trying to process the news. “I’m so sorry, Dad. Please tell her I’m thinking of her when she wakes up.”“I will,” he said.“Have they made any arrangements yet?”“Yes,” Dad replied. “The funeral is on Friday.”“Okay,” I said quickly. “I’ll be there Thursday night. Evan’s coming with me.”“That’ll mean a lot to her,” Dad said quietly.“Thanks for letting me know, Dad.”
ARLAN'S POV.I parked his car in front of the hospital and glanced at Matilda. She was looking radiant and I could tell she had made an extra effort to look good.Throughout the journey to the hospital, her hand rested protectively on her baby bump as they stepped out of the car.“You ready?” she asked, her voice calm but with a hint of anticipation.I nodded, shoving my hands into my pockets. “Yeah. Let’s do this.”Inside the hospital, I couldn't stop myself from being anxious. Matilda noticed it and let out a small laugh. "Don't tell me you're anxious?""I'm not anxious, the word is excited." I corrected, looking around."Next." The doctor called."We are the next in line." I said and help her to her feet."You're welcome Matilda." The elderly doctor who I come to be know to be Doctor Beatrice smiled at us. "And this is?" She asked her looking at me."My name is Arlan, Arlan Reef." I introduced myself. "The baby's father's.""Mr Reef, it's so good to see you." She stretched her hand
SARAYA'S POV.I entered the first class cabinet with Evan, when my eyes settled on someone familiar.My heart raced at the thought of boarding the same flight and the same class with him. I was finding it hard to believe my eyes.I wanted to ignore him but I decided against recalling how he had helped me the last time.I turned to Evan, "go have your seat, I want to talk to someone."Evan nodded his head and went to have his seat. I walked towards Dominic and stood few inches away from him. “Is this another coincidence, or you've made up your mind to be following me now?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as he locked eyes with me.Dominic flashed that charming smile of his, eyes twinkling. “Believe it or not, this is exactly why you should start believing in fate,” he said, pointing to a seat right behind me.I took my seat but couldn’t help but laugh softly. "Fate, huh? And what are the chances we keep running into each other like this?""Saraya, chill. We don’t even have each other’s con
ALEX'S POV.I stood at the arrival arena, my hands stuffed in my coat jacket. Scanning through the crowd. The moment I spotted Saraya and Evan, relief washed over me.“Dad!” Saraya called, quickening her pace.I pulled her into a hug, then Evan. “You made it,” I said, my voice heavy with exhaustion.“How are you holding up?” Saraya asked as we walked toward the car.“I’m doing great,” I replied, though that was far from the truth, I was so exhausted.Once we were on the road, I glanced at Saraya in the rearview mirror. “You look pale. Are you okay?”Saraya gave a tired smile. “I’m fine, Dad. Honestly.” She leaned back in her seat. “But if we’re talking about pale faces, have you seen yours?”“Mine?” I raised an eyebrow, glancing briefly at her.“Yeah,” she said with a grin. “You look terrible. Evan, back me up here.”Evan laughed. “She’s got a point, dad. You look like you haven’t slept in days.”I sighed, gripping the wheel. “I haven’t. But after the funeral, I promise I’ll sleep. A
MARY'S POV.We've had dinner and was just having random talks in the living room but my mind was far away from the discussion.Alex, Saraya and Evan's giggles and small laugh jolts out of my reverie time to time but I couldn't stop the many thoughts in my head.I saw Evan rubbing his eyes and that was my cue to take him to his room. "Stop rubbing your eyes, it's bad for your sight." I chastised.Alex stood up on his feet. "Go easy on him, you know it's been a long day for him. I think it's time to get some sleep, I'll take him to bed."I interrupted. "No, I'll do it." I insisted. "At least, let me do one thing to keep myself busy. You've been doing all the runnings all day. Take a break."I walked up to Evan and helped him on his feet, while taking him upstairs, I took a glance at the father and daughter who clinked their glasses and continued their discussion amidst giggles. Anger surged through me.I helped Evan to his room and once we were in, I locked the door behind me. I tossed
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