One by one, my business partners are pulling out their investments from SMW Corporations. If this continues, it’ll go bankrupt. It feels like Carter’s ghost is haunting me, throwing back at me what I’ve done to him. I try to talk things through with my investors, to convince them to stay, but they refuse. Until, one of them finally admits the truth. -[“Pierce Thorne convinced us to pull out, which only makes sense since the company’s sales are struggling.”]- So, this isn’t just business; this is personal.When Marius finds out, his fury is immediate and intense. He quickly calls his father“Dad, my wife is pregnant with your grandchild! And you’re stressing her out so much!” He growls.Marius then hurls his phone, and it crashes against the wall. I rush towards Marius, and wrap my arms around him from behind. Marius tenses at first, then slowly relaxes. “We’ve been through so much,” I whisper. “This isn’t enough to defeat us now.”Marius turns around, and places his hands on my
Our family conflict has to stop before it becomes irretrievable. And I’m willing to bend down just this once to fix our issues. I decide to host a small gathering to celebrate Archie’s birth. Our backyard is the perfect setting, cozy and intimate. I invite only a few friends and our parents, hoping this will be a step toward healing the rift in the family. It’s a risk, but I wanna try.When I first suggested the idea, Marius wasn’t too keen. He knew his father well. “Dad won’t lower his pride to anyone, especially if he feels he was humiliated,” he said. But after my insistence, he eventually agreed. He wanted to make me happy, even if he wasn’t convinced it would work.The gathering starts off well. Many of our friends, mostly Marius’, are delighted to meet Archie. Even Sammy is thrilled, staying close to his baby brother, his little hand often reaching out to touch his tiny fingers.But at the edge of the celebration, Betty and Pierce sit apart. They barely interact with anyone
"That's not true!" Marius hisses, glaring at the chef. "Who are you to accuse me of that?!" I refuse to believe that my husband will ever hurt papa or attempt to hurt me. But, this also makes me believe that Pierce isn’t the mastermind. He’ll never turn his own son into a scapegoat. He is cunning and calculating, but never reckless with his own blood. So who could it be? This is obviously no accident! "Look into this further. And I want this chef to be interrogated," I demand. The chef’s knees drop to the floor, his eyes wide with terror. "Please, Mrs. Thorne. That’s all I know!" "If you really are innocent," I say, my voice cold. "Then you shouldn’t be as fearful as you are now." The chef squeezes his eyes shut as tears stream down from them. As the bodyguards lead the chef away, I wrap my arms around Marius as a way to show that I trust him completely. But the tension in his body remains. He probably knows, just as I do, that someone wants to harm us. And with our two childr
Marius, looking groggy and disoriented, peers at the bottle. But before he can make sense of what’s in front of him, Betty reacts first, her voice filled with anger and a hint of mockery. "So you're accusing my son of attempting to kill your daddy?" I pay her no attention at all. But when she clutches my shoulder and shoves me away from Marius, I'm provoked. "Don’t you dare touch me!" I growl. Betty lunges at me. Her hand swings, then… Slap!The sting of her strike is immediate, and I don’t hesitate to slap her back. The cellar explodes into chaos as we start grappling with each other.Pierce and the bodyguard scramble to separate us, their voices a blur of shouts and demands. But for a moment, Marius just keeps drinking, as if oblivious to the chaos unfolding around him.Then, suddenly, he stands up. He uses his arm to separate me from his mother. But his push is too strong, sending me stumbling backward. Luckily, the bodyguard is able to catch me just in time.Marius and I loc
PIERCE’S POV: "You are under arrest, Mr. Thorne!" the officer says. I stand tall as the officer snaps the handcuffs on my wrists. Outside my mansion, the cameras flashing, the reporters swarming. They shout questions at me; “Are your son’s accusations true?” “Did you really try to kill Mr. Albert Montgomery?”“Why would you blackmail someone to put the blame on your son?”I pass through them, with extreme calmness and a feign look of innocence. I want the world to see that I’m no criminal, that Marius and Hazel are just trying to hurt me because they don’t like my demands.At the police station, they take my fingerprints and photos. The officers discuss putting me in a cell, but posting a bail is just a piece of cake to me. They have no choice but to let me go.And I’m free… only for now. But if I’m proven guilty, the cell will become my permanent home, which I’ll never allow.Once I’m back to my mansion, the nonchalance and innocence I try so hard to portray crumble.I gather m
MARIUS’ POV: I clench my jaw tightly as I watch Dr. Tiu and the Schultz couple on TV, taking their seats at a press conference. There’s only one person I can think of who would orchestrate this - dad! Dr. Tiu and the Schutlzs each reveal my past crime, as if they didn’t gladly accept my money. But then, it gets worse. They claim that I only hid Hazel from Carter because we’re having an affair. I can’t believe that dad will be willing to paint Carter as the victim, while I as the aggressor! The public’s opinions online have become out of control overnight. The majority claims that Carter’s extreme actions were justified because of Hazel’s and my supposed betrayal.I hiss, cursing under my breath.If only I could choose another father, I would never choose him again. I'll never do to Sammy and Archie what he’s doing to me. I’d rather suffer so they can live in comfort. That’s what a loving parent should do!I think about holding my own press conference, but it’s just gonna be a was
HAZEL’S POV: Marrying Marius is the best decision I’ve ever made, but being the daughter-in-law of his parents is the worst. I sit at the long conference table, surrounded by the key executives of my cosmetics business. I barely register a word of what they’re saying. The majority of my thoughts are consumed by papa’s worsening health condition, and Marius’ crumbling financial situation. My circumstances aren't any better either. The consumers have unleashed a wave of boycotts against my cosmetic products. Hence, this unplanned meeting is taking place.People who know nothing about the truth casts me and Marius as the culprits while painting Carter as the victim. The press conference Marius held last night helped, but only a little. The hate lessened, but still overwhelming.Dropping the case against Pierce won’t guarantee our safety; it may even put us in more danger. I also consider the idea of doing to Pierce what I did to Carter, but I’ll only relive the traumatic memories of
Marius’ law firm is forced to shut down, which is his last source of income. He can invest in papa's companies, but we have to wait for papa to wake up first. At times, I’m catching him staring blankly in extreme silence for hours. And it breaks my heart to see him like this.My own financial situation is crumbling too. SMW Corporations isn’t making any real progress, and two of my cosmetic stores are on the brink of closing due to the boycotts. I can't understand why Pierce isn’t suffering the same fate. His reputation has been dragged through the mud just like ours, yet he remains untouched. He’s really an expert in this game, and that scares me a lot.Finally, the day of the first hearing against Pierce Thorne arrives. At the courtroom, Pierce sits with an air of arrogant confidence, as if daring the law to touch him. When it’s time for the judge to call on the chef to state his claim, the chef sings a different tune again. "I was forced to lie by Ms. Hazel and Mr. Marius Thor