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
Is this mafia boss here to silent us now? The man eyes me from head to toe, before flickering his gaze back to mom and dad. “If you want my mercy and my trust, then I’ll take your daughter with me back home in Italy.” My chest clenches in fear when mom and dad only glance at each other without any attempt to reject him. The man stands up and extends his hand to me. “I’m Adriano Giordanno, the mafia boss of Le Distruzioni. I’m pleased to meet you, Miss Mei Zhou.” I glare at his hand, and refuse to take it. “What will you do to me if I come with you? Turn me into your slave?” He smirks. “Possibly. But, if you become a good girl and follow all of my rules, I may turn you into my wife, a powerful woman no one can match.” I smirk back with more mockery than his. “I’m pregnant with another man’s, Marius Thorne’s, baby. Don’t tell me you’re okay with that?” Recognition flickers in his eyes. “I’ve seen that guy on TV before, and his wife too. Men are men, unable to stay loyal even if
HAZEL’S POV: Finally! Marius and I can spend time together again. Mei Zhou can’t do anything against us now. And I hope she’s the last who will ever dare try to ruin us. Time flies by so quickly that I barely notice that Sammy is already speaking a few words with clarity, while Archie can now crawl and sit on his own. Our enemies took away our time as parents to them, that we miss these little things. But I promise to do my best to make it up to them. Our night is filled with laughter as we play, and as we watch cartoons together. It’s a little late when Sammy and Archie have fallen asleep, but I don’t mind. Next, Marius and I have a little chat with papa, thanking him for everything he has done for us. “Anything to make you and my grandchildren happy,” papa says, before giving us a big hug. Afterwards, Marius and I head to our bedroom. Marius pulls me into his arms, and I dangle my arms over his neck. Then, our lips lock in a passionate kiss. Gradually, we undress each ot
As I slowly regain my consciousness, I realize that I’m blindfolded, gagged, and tied up. I’m also on something soft and quite shaky - a car? No, cars’ seats don’t feel like this. So, where am I? My desperation to find Marius, and make sure he’s safe gives me strength to move. I roll, then thud! I hiss in pain when I hit something akin to a carpeted floor. Then I jerk in fear when a pair of hands touch me, while an unfamiliar voice of a woman echoing, “Are you, okay? You shouldn’t move too much. We’ll land at our destination soon.” Land?! We’re in a plane?! I wiggle as aggressively as I can, but the metals on my wrists and ankles are not loosening and only biting my skin. I scream. Though it’s muffled, whoever is with me pulls down the gag from my mouth. “Who are you? Where are you bringing me?” I ask. “I’m just a flight attendant hired by someone I don’t know. And we’re gonna land in Sicily, Italy soon,” the voice says. Confusion continues to engulf me. “But why?!” The wo
I’m being bathed by women in uniforms. Aside from their young looks, they’re all pretty. Intrigued, I ask, “Are you Adriano’s… uhm… slaves?” They glance at each other, then their shoulders slump in sadness, which makes me feel guilty for asking. “We are, but we’re all once his woman,” one of them says. “If you don’t satisfy him tonight, you’ll become one of us too. He won’t let you go out of his estate. And if you attempt to escape, you’ll be killed just like the others.” Fear grips my chest. I’ve escaped Carter, the mental institution and even my mental distress. But this one will probably give me the most difficult chance of reclaiming my freedom. There are an estimated three hundred bodyguards roaming around the front yard and the entire mansion. Way more than what the wealthiest I’ve ever known have in their own estate. Adriano is a mafia boss, so I expect that he’s also far more dangerous than either Carter or Pierce. I ask again, “Do you know anyone named Marius Thron
Being the world’s richest and powerful couple is an honor, but comes with it the burden of attracting possible new jealous and evil individuals. To prepare for this, Marius and I put the country’s Chief of police and the General of the army on our payroll in exchange for their protection of our family’s well-being. Additionally, we befriend some politicians here and abroad by funding their projects and election campaigns. We also keep our contact with the hacker and the cosmetic artist. Though we’re not yet needing their help again, we’re sending them and their families’ gifts every once in a while - a way to show our appreciation for the skills and to keep them loyal to us. Everything is going well. Except,... My relationships with my former and my current mothers-in-law. They remain adamant in forgetting our pasts. Even so, we maintain our respect for each other unlike before. Plus, they always visit their grandchildren to spend some time with them. “Elmyra,” I begin, trying to
Charles Guo Committed S.uicide Behind Bars! - That’s the headline of every news outlet. I’m shocked that he’d do this to himself. But to make sure that this isn’t just a lie so that he can escape jail, I head to the morgue myself. And there he is - white and cold, with a chain mark on his neck. There’s a little guilt in me, but there’s also a huge relief. Suzy and the others who vouched for him in the courtroom are now in jail for lying, awaiting their trials. The second DNA results of Rain and his grandparents turn out to be positive, and the one Suzy presented to the court is proven to be fabricated. This, hiding Rain’s father’s death from the law, and hiring my former bodyguards to become their spies and kill my family, add to the charges she’ll be facing, making it difficult for her to pose bail. “P-please, Hazel… I’m sorry I chose my husband over you. He threatened me, that’s why I have no choice,” she cries, clutching the bars of her cell.I raise an eyebrow. “You didn’t
My tears continue to cascade from my eyes, as I chase after Marius, who’s on a stretcher and being rushed to the emergency room. “Ma’am, you can’t enter,” the doctor says as she shuts the door in my face. I sink to my knees and clutches my tightening chest. Oh God! Please, save Marius! Don’t take him from me! Hours pass, but the emergency doors remain closed. There’s no update about Marius’ situation so far. Betty has arrived too, panicking and sobbing, which only makes me even more apprehensive. The nurses help her to calm down by giving her some medications. Then I sit beside her, hoping to give and get comfort. But,... “If I lose my son too, I will kill myself, and will blame my death on you,” she says, coldly. I stop myself from responding. This isn’t the right time and place to argue. Finally, the doctor steps out of the emergency room, his expression grave. “The patient is in a coma and will be under monitoring. The bullet has pierced through his left lung, but it’s
A week has lapsed,...And finally, the judgment day has arrived! Will fate back us up? Or will it vouch for Charles instead? Inside the courtroom, Charles looks calm, a complete turnaround from how he was when he’s in our basement. Sitting on the bench behind him is Amber, Rain and Suzy. I saw those three earlier, arriving separately. The media were all over them, throwing questions about the scandal surrounding their family’s odd relationships. They ignored them. And just like Charles, they all look calmer than how I was expecting them to be. When the trial begins, the first case that’s discussed is the m.urder of Rain’s biological father. Rain’s grandparents get on the witness stand. Their emotions rise as they state how they remember their son when he was still alive. “He just suddenly came home one day with groceries and shopping bags that we knew he can’t afford, given the salary he’s getting in Mr. Guo’s factory,” the father says. “Soon, he brought us a brand new house
HAZEL’S POV: It’s proven that Amber Stark can’t be trusted. But, what about Suzy and Rain Guo, will they side with me and Marius? Marius and I, disguised as Crystal and Chris, meet Suzy and Rain in a high-end cafe. “Give us the list of Charles’ illegal businesses, and we promise that all of his wealth will be yours,” I say. Suzy responds, “Believe it or not, my husband doesn’t have any illegal businesses, so there’s no way you can lawfully freeze his access to his wealth.” It seems like we can’t trust these two as well. If only our hacker can find these pieces of information, then we won’t need to bargain with them. But our hacker has limitations too. Suddenly, Suzy’s aura shifts! “However, I can give you the identity of Rain’s biological father. You can use his death against Charles,” she says. That’s a help, but that's not enough to freeze Charles’ assets. Charles may still be able to utilize his wealth to manipulate the authorities. After giving us the details of Rain’s
AMBER’S POV: Crystal Wu’s offer is tempting, but she and her husband can’t be trusted. Plus, Charles won’t be defeated that easily. I call Charles through my phone since he hasn’t come back home yet. When he picks up, he sounds a little more enthusiastic than usual. Even when he’s celebrating something huge, he isn’t like this. “Weird,” I murmur, then continue with a clearer voice. “Be careful. Crystal Wu is planning to destroy your finances, and she’s trying to use me against you.” His enthusiasm doesn’t falter. -[“I’ll be careful. Thanks for letting me know.”]- He then drops the call, and I can’t reconnect with him when I try to call him again. Frustrated, I send her a text message: -[Where are you anyway? I need s.ex!]- But, there’s no reply. I meet Rain and Suzy, who are having their lunch in the dining area. Then I tell them about Crystal Wu’s scheme. “She wants me to know all Charles’ illegal businesses, so the government can freeze all of his wealth just like what hap
HAZEL’S POV: It’s not easy to harden our hearts, but Marius and I must do it if we don’t want our enemies to get the better of us again. We already got access to our bodyguards’ and house staff’s past and current call and text message logs, and we identified five Guo’s spies in total. To stop them from continuously betraying us, we target their weaknesses - their loved ones. We gathered the traitors inside the study, and took their phones and their weapons. At first they’re confused until we explained why.“You’re spies of Charles Guo and you’ll pay for that big time,” Marius said coldly.Stunned, their faces paled and their bodies clenched. But none dared to deny it.“We have your family members, hidden in a place where you can’t contact or see them. If you want them to stay safe, you must follow every single thing we’ll demand from you,” I added with equal coldness.Alarmed, they tremble. One of them even kneeled down and begged,“Please, my family has nothing to do with my bet
“Take off all the CCTVs now!” I roar. Frantically, the maids and the bodyguards uninstall all the CCTVs in every corner of my estate. It may lessen the safety of my home, but I can’t risk giving my enemies more of our privacy! Once they’re done, I turn to Suzy and clutches her shoulders furiously.“I didn’t realize that there’s CCTV in that hospital room!” Suzy explains, trembling in fear. “Regardless! You shouldn’t have told the Thornes about our family’s affair!” I hiss, before pushing her onto the sofa. Then I turn to Amber, who’s fearfully hiding behind Rain. I wanna lash out at her too, but I stop myself. Even I didn't think that the CCTVs in my home used for our safety would be hacked to shove us into danger.Over the next few days, the mainstream and social media explode with news about our unconventional family relationships. We have become the laughing stock of the entire country. I can’t get out of my estate out of humiliation, can’t even accept an interview or a new
CHARLES’ POV: There’s nothing! Crystal and Chris Wu’s cellphones can’t provide anything that’ll connect them to Marius and Hazel Thorne! I turn to Rain and ask, “Are you sure you don’t know them?” Rain replies, “They invested one billion dollars to my new business venture, but I don’t know them personally. And I also don’t remember ever inviting them to my prenuptial party.” Irritation courses through me. “You’re so s.tupid to not meet your investors in person! I’m not gonna be surprised why until now you can’t build connections on your own!” “And now we can’t be sure if we can trust those two or not!” Rain shrugs, unbothered in showing his disinterest. I can’t believe that I’m squandering so much wealth for this d.umbass! If only I’m able to produce my own son, I would never let him exist! Amber approaches me and seductively rubs her palms across my chest area. “Honey, I’m scared. Everybody is talking about us now. Shall we just confess our affair?” she asks without any hin