IAN'S POV.The house was dark and quiet when I walked in, the only light was coming from the chandelier lamp hanging from the roof of the living room.I dragged my tired feet and dropped my coat over the armrest of the couch and let out a heavy sigh.The faint scent of roses caught my attention. I rolled my eyes, following the scent of the flower only to come face to face with a bouquet of flowers.I could tell they were roses, bright red ones. Like the ones my dad used to gift my mom. I walked over, leaning in to take a closer look, and noticed a small card tucked between the stems.“Thinking of you. From Dominic.”I scoffed, tossing the card back to the table. "It's now Dominic, right? Who the hell is Dominic?" I untied the ribbon used to hold the roses together and slammed them hard on the ground and trampled on them."What are you doing, Ian?"Turning, I saw my randma walk into the room. Her face looked as tired as I felt, her shoulders slumped, and her lips pressed into a thin l
ISLA'S POV.I stopped at the hallway catching my breathe. "Ian is right, I am being passive with Saraya." I muttered.I truly understand how he feels but going head to head against another grandchild of mine when my child is on the sick bed is not something I want to do.I leaned back against the wall recalling how the relationship between Ian and Alex go so bad despite being inseparable years back.*10 years ago.*"Alex!" I screamed. "If you can't learn something from your brother, at least, stop making things more difficult." I spat."Comparing me to him again, right?" He asked. "That is all you're good at but you know what, I'm done." He raised his hand in the hand."No, you're not done until I say you're done." I retorted. "You've just failed to secure a bid that would have helped the financial state of the company and you think you're done? No, you're not." I repeated. "You must find a way of getting back the bid you lost or you can as well forget about being a member of the Newm
ARLAN'S POV."It's all my fault." I took another glass of wine. "I should've stayed away from saraya when I found out she is Alex's daughter. If I have, none of this would've happened."I recalled it was on a Christmas day when I had first heard about Saraya's existence.*TWO YEARS AGO.*I sat on the couch, a glass of mulled wine in my hand, watching Alex's family tear into their presents with reckless abandon and laughter filled the air.Wrapping paper flew in all directions as Evan unwrapped his gifts.Alex sat beside me, a satisfied grin on his face, looking every bit the proud father.“Evan is sure an happy child, isn't he?” I said, gesturing toward the mess he had made. Alex chuckled, taking a sip from his own glass. “He sure is. Nothing beats seeing seeing my family happy.” He said. "I can't wait for my daughter to join us here." He added."A daughter?"Alex nodded. "Yes, I got to find out I have a daughter." A small smile spread on his face. "I have a daughter, Arlan.""You k
SARAYA'S POV.I felt a soft touch on my shoulder. My heart raced and I opened my eyes in fear."Take it easy, it's me." Mary said, towering over me.“Good morning,” she said softly.“Good morning, Mom,” I replied, quickly sitting up and rubbing the sleep from my eyes.I glanced at my father, still motionless on the hospital bed. The rhythmic beeping of the life machine was the only assurance that life still clung to him with his doctor by his side.I sat up immediately. “I must have slept off.”“You need it,” Mary replied, her tone gentle yet firm. "The doctor is here, come."I stood up quickly, my legs wobbly beneath me, as I followed Mary toward the doctor.“Mrs. Newman, Ms. Newman,” he began. “Mr Newman's test results came out and I must say… his condition is critical. We’ve done everything we can, but I have to be honest with you. His health is deteriorating rapidly. You need to prepare yourselves for the worst.”I froze, "No," I whispered, shaking my head slowly. “You’re wrong. H
SARAYA'S POV.I parked my car few houses away from the house. My heart raced as I stepped out. "Maybe, I should have gotten some ready to wear clothes and gone to work from there?" I told myself.I wasn’t ready to face her yet; my grandmother. Standing in her presence terrified me knowing fully well that she won't be able to stand my sight.I pressed the power button of my phone to check the time. "She should still be in bed by now, I should be able to sneak in and sneak out before she wakes up."I adjusted my bag and walked to the house. I punched in the code and opened the door gently. Taking a peep, I entered and closed the door as quietly as I could. I took off my shoes and started tip toeing.“Saraya, what do you think you're doing sneaking around like a thief?” I froze, my shoes fell from my hand. In a thousand years, I would never mistake her voice for another.Slowly, I turned to face her. My grandmother stood there, elegant and imposing as always, her eyes on me like a hawk.
IAN'S POV.I checked my wristwatch and it was 2:58p.m, Just then, John Mark, one of the oldest member of board walked into the room."Hope I'm not late." He asked while having his seat.I smiled and nodded. "You're right on time." I replied. "Since we are all here, we should begin."I had the VIP restaurant meeting room rented out just for this meeting—an exclusive setting for what I hoped would be a pivotal turning point. I could feel their eyes on me as I stood, glass in hand.“First off, thank you all for making it here despite the short notice,” I began in a humble and firm tone. “I know this is a bit unexpected, but we have a lot to discuss.”I paused, letting my words sink in, scanning the faces of the men who had worked closely with my father over the years.“We all know how my father treated each and every one of you,” I continued, looking around the room. “He made sure you were taken care of, respected, and that your voices mattered.”A few of them nodded in agreement to my w
IAN'S POVI adjusted my grip on the bouquet of lilies in my hand as I stepped into the gates of Eternal Home Cemetery.Beside me, my grandmother walked slowly, her hands trembling slightly as she held her own bouquet.The walk to the graves made me recalled how I walked behind the casket bearers with my parent's bodies.I tightened my hands on the bouquet of flowers. Soon, we reached the headstones of my parents.I heard my grandmother let out a shaky breath. She knelt down first, placing the flowers gently on the marble. I followed, before removing the dried leaves on their graves“How are you both doing?” My grandmother's voice cracked as she spoke, her fingers brushing lightly over the stone with my father's name and throwing a glance at my mothers.Her tears came quietly, slipping down her cheeks as though she couldn’t hold them back any longer.I knelt beside her, resting my hand on her shoulder. "If they see you this way, the one they would be worried about is you."My grandmoth
MARY'S POV."You know, from a glance, you look like a good person." I broke the silence between Dominic and I."Thanks for your kind words, Mrs Newman.""I wasn't flattering you, Mr blackmailer." I retorted. "I'm only stating the obvious, I would've considered you a good person if I don't know how scheming you are.""Wait a minute! What did you just called me ma'am?" Shock was written over his face. "A Black... blackmailer?" He stuttered. "What are you talking about?" He asked, blinking his eyes fixed on the road."Does bringing food and fruits makes you less guilty towards Saraya?" I asked as Dominic drove."I don't understand what you're talking about, don't you think you've got the wrong person?" He asked.I gave out a soft laugh. "I don't expect you to come out clean with me just accusing you but I just wonder wonder how Saraya would feel if she ever finds out you're the blackmailer."Dominic turned to me. "I'm no blackmailer and I can tell you, Mrs Newman that this is a misunders
DOMINIC'S POVI was standing outside, adjusting the cuff of my vintage shirt when Saraya pulled up and parked. She stepped out of the car, looking effortlessly beautiful in her black short gown and I couldn’t help but smile.“I should be the one picking you up,” I said as she approached me.She grinned. “Remember, it’s my treat.”I shook my head. “Still, that doesn’t mean you have to drive.”“Well, I did.” She shrugged.We both laughed, and I pulled her into a hug. She smelled nice but I didn’t let myself linger too long so she doesn't get uncomfortable. When we pulled apart, I took a step back and gave her an approving look.I chuckled and held out my hand. “Keys.”She raised a brow. “Excuse me?”“You’ve been at work all day. Let me drive.”She hesitated for a second before dropping the keys into my palm. “Fine. But only because I’m too tired to argue.”I took the keys from Saraya and got into the driver’s seat while she settled beside me.“I’ll take what I can get,” I said, opening t
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