HAZEL’S POV: Boom! I’m shaken by the deafening sound that suddenly erupts at exactly midnight. “Midnight?” I echo as recognition strikes. That’s Marius’ doing! He doesn’t give me detailed instructions on what I should do next aside from “wait till midnight”, so I jump into the fray of panicking medical staff and patients. I follow the direction they’re heading into - the fire exit, until I get the opportunity to go to a different path - the backdoor. However,... The instant I step outside, men in masks are there, looking and… waiting? For what? Or for who? Then, one of them flickers his gaze at me. “There she is! Get her!” Instinctively, I rush back inside and lock the door. The men pound at the door at the same time. I don’t know who they are, but they’re definitely not Marius’ acquaintances! I gasp in fear when they successfully break the door open. Then, they chase after me as I dart as fast as I can away from them. One of them manages to grab me by the arm. “Wher
I have to take Marius back no matter what! I don’t know how they came about with that news, but I’m sure Marius is trapped just to save me. He will never divorce me! Marius doesn’t respond to any of my calls. He hasn’t been in our home nor in his office ever since the explosion at the mental hospital according to our house staff and his employees. Therefore, flanked by my bodyguards, I head towards Mei Zhou’s penthouse where I assume I can find him. “Ma’am, Miss Mei Zhou asks for you to leave. She said she can’t allow your entrance to her home coz… coz you’re sick, and that it may be dangerous for her,” the receptionist says. My fury amplifies. I snatch the telephone from the receptionist’s hand and yell at it. “If you don’t give my husband back to me, you’ll regret it!” Mei Zhou chuckles mockingly from the other end of the line, then asks wickedly,-[“And what are you gonna do?”]- I clench my teeth, unable to think of a response. -[“Listen, if you don’t leave in the next
MARIUS’ POV: This is probably the most painful thing I must do to Hazel. I hope she continues to trust me, even if I have to act this way. Someone like Mei Zhou can’t be brought down from the outside, so I must infiltrate her life, then crumble her from within. Mei Zhou and I head back to her penthouse where I currently live. While she’s in her bedroom, I’m slouched on the couch of the guest bedroom, thinking about Hazel and our children’s well-being. I miss them so much, but I have to do this first before it’s too late for us to be a happy family again. Then, a knock on the door echoes and Mei Zhou enters. She’s in a bathrobe, holding a bottle of wine and two wine glasses. She walks towards me s.eductively, then sits on my lap comfortably. “Are you regretting finally seeing how crazy your wife is?” she asks, while pouring me the wine. Anger flares through me as I wanna shut her up for calling Hazel crazy, but I bite my tongue. Otherwise, my secret will be exposed and my plan
“You look very handsome, Marius,” Mei Zhou says, while smirking through the mirror in front of us. Ever since I pretend to have amnesia, she always utilizes every moment she can to let everyone know that I wanna be with her, and that I’m choosing her over my wife. And tonight is no different. We’re gonna have a date night again. It’s no surprise that when we arrive at the high-end restaurant, a throng of reporters are already at the yard, waiting for our arrival. Mei Zhou has obviously called them to be here. She’s beaming and waving like a first-time Olympic gold medalist. Of course, I force a smile too. But, I can’t help but to think about Hazel. I’ll hurt her even more when she sees this on the news. Luckily, the restaurant doesn’t allow the reporters’ entrance, giving me a space to breathe. Once I’m seated, Mei Zhou pouts her lips and stays standing. I almost raise an eyebrow at her. “I’m sure you’re more of a gentleman than that,” she teases. I fake a smile again, st
HAZEL’S POV: A package from Marius comes to me this morning: a divorce paper and a positive pregnancy test with a letter saying that he and Mei Zhou are expecting their first child.My initial excitement dwindles, acknowledging that this isn’t from Marius but from Mei Zhou herself. Thankfully, after my encounter with Marius last night, I’m smarter now than to believe what our enemies are presenting to us.Marius and I can pretend that we agree to divorce each other, while waiting for the perfect timing to crush Mei Zhou down. And her pregnancy, it may be fake just like Nicole’s. And even if it’s not fake, the baby’s father can’t be Marius.Surprisingly, Mei Zhou’s pregnancy isn’t on the news yet. Obviously, she’ll be questioned about it. People will turn against her even more for being a homewrecker. I remember her and Reeve Whitlock pretending to be a thing before just to salvage her reputation when I accused her of trying to steal Marius from me. Her cosmetic business’ sales went
MEI’S POV: S.hit! My hand trembles as I stare at the positive pregnancy test. Anger flares, but I force myself to stay calm. Marius can’t know that this baby isn’t his, but Reve Whitlock’s! When I tell Marius about my pregnancy, he acknowledges it. He’s not particularly happy, but he’s not in denial either. However,... When I tell my parents about the news, they’re furious. “I didn’t raise you while giving you everything you want just to be a mistress!” Dad hisses. With confidence, I reply, “Marius will divorce his wife, and will marry me. Therefore, I'm no longer gonna be his mistress, but his wife.” Still, both mom and dad are disgusted at me. This is the first time I have had a face-to-face conversation with them ever since returning to this country. And they’ve been unaccepting of Marius ever since we started dating a few days back. “What will you do if that guy returns to his wife once he remembers her?” mom asks, her brow furrowed with worry. I shrug. “I don’t know
Overnight, my bribery towards the FBI agents go viral. I try to deny it by claiming it’s a fake video, created by AI. But, the FBI agents discredit my claims. Now, I'm handcuffed. And while being escorted to the FBI headquarters, cameras unforgivingly flicker on my face, microphones being disrespectfully shoved to my lips. “Since you bribed the authorities, are you admitting that your parents are guilty of the allegations against them?” one annoying reporter asks. With feign confidence, I respond, “The truth will prevail.” My mouth stings at the words. If the truth prevails, it’s the end of me and my parents. That’s why I have to think of a new way to turn the tide to our favor while I still have time. Fortunately, bribery is a bailable offense. Mom and dad send their lawyer to pay my bail and I’m set free. Unfortunately, me and them will be under surveillance for the entire duration of the investigation and the government has issued a freeze order to all of our assets until w
I blink awake, feeling my heartbeats. I’m still alive? A sigh of disappointment escapes me. As I clench my fist, a sting wriggles through my dressed, wounded wrist. And as I sit up, mom and dad rush towards my bed with worried yet relieved faces. “How are you feeling?” dad asks. Without responding, I get up from bed, put on a coat, and descend to the garage. Mom and dad try to stop me, but I continue to maneuver my car out of their mansion’s gates. I have to end my enemies, before they can end me; Leslie, Hazel then Marius! And there’s no time to waste! Arriving at Leslie’s luxurious apartment, he welcomes me with an irritating smile. “So, have you thought about how you can pay your remaining balance to me?” he asks as he hands me a glass of wine. I glare at him for a moment, before aggressively knocking the wine glass out of his grasp. He steps back, fear creeping on his face. “I still have bars of gold hidden in my vault. I can give you all of them if you can kill M