CHAPTER 28Fareeda sauntered to the other part of the hall where Alex's study was situated, she pulled her cloak's hood down to allow it to cover her face properly before taking slow steps toward the study's door. She tapped the mic that was strapped to her neck and spoke into it softly, "Mini, can I enter?" She turned the knob when she heard a low hum of approval from Mini, the cold air that fanned her face only brought a smirk to her face.Mini was at a hotel with Alex, and Kai was keeping Asha busy by listening to her dumb sob story, thereby buying them time to complete their mission in time for Valerie's birthday party. "Locate the area where the stack of white files is, move the shelf forward and you'll find the safe. Remember to use your gloves to open it," Mini warned softly, her voice sending chills down her spine.Fareeda did as Mini asked, she placed her hand on the safe's knob and turned it. The safe's door opened to reveal a small circuit box-like safe that shone blue li
CHAPTER 29The luxurious ballroom was decorated in shades of black, with glimmering lights and overlaid with black furniture. The guests were asked to dress in black and come along with a gold or silver mask as it would be a masked birthday party.Some of the guests stood or sat down sipping champagne and mingling in small groups. In the center of the ballroom stood a large, black cake, adorned with gold and silver accents, and written on the cake with amazing calligraphy is- Val's 23rd. The DJ who stood in the corner of the large ballroom spinning dark, club-like music immediately got bored because no one was listening to the music as everyone that was invited to the party was wealthy and stuck up. Some people were happy to be there while some wanted to leave as soon as the birthday girl came downstairs to blow her candles, cut her cake, and make a group toast. Some people were there to cause mischief while Valerie was just happy to be celebrating her birthday with Alan by her sid
CHAPTER 30Valerie strutted down the large and long stairs that descended the ballroom gracefully. With every step that she took downstairs a light was turned off, so when she reached the last staircase all the lights were turned off, and the large cake was brought to her face with everyone singing, "Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you. May this new year of your life… bring you much happiness,"That wasn't the usual happy birthday song but rich people always make everything about themselves hence the weird change. The 23 lit candles illuminated Valerie's face and her beauty radiated more as she smiled, she couldn't see anything but she scoured through the room for Alan, he was right by her side, smiling and giving low claps. "May this new year bring much happiness Amen," she said softly and then blew the candles.Sounds of people clapping echoed through the whole room and then the lights were turned on. "Happy birthday Valerie," she heard someone whisper in her ear, and sh
CHAPTER 31The door flung open to reveal a restless and annoyed looking Kai."What the fuck are you two doing?" He asked, walking toward Mini and then pulling her up to stand on her feet."She was going to kill me, Kai," Mini said, pointing to the knife in Asha's hands. "Asha, if you want to get out of this place alive, now is the best time to get those files out because Alex is busy proposing to Valerie," "What? I thought they were married already," Asha exclaimed with a confused expression on her face."I convinced him to remarry Valerie because a company denied collaboration with Carson Innovation because of the Alex and Mini scandal, so to prove to them that he truly loves Valerie he asked to remarry her again in front of everyone," Kai answered."The files Asha?" Kai asked again, reminding her of what they had come to the estate for.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"I wouldn't even have married you if I had a choice," Valerie replied, and loud gasps echoed through the whole room."You wer
CHAPTER 32The room fell into silence as the sound of gunshots echoed through the air. The sight of Asha lying lifeless on the ground sent shivers down Alan and Alex's spine. "What have you done?" Alan whispered, his voice barely audible.Fareeda, still holding the gun, clutched the gun in her hand and slipped outside the room from where she had shot Asha, slithering through the dark corridors like a snake. "What do you mean what have I done? I didn't pull the trigger. I mean, I wish I did but I swear I didn't," Alex responded, his voice trembling a little as he still shook with fear. Alan squatted over Asha's lifeless body and examined it, he unconsciously palmed his face and let out a small groan before walking to the wall to hit his head on it. "Then how did she die?" Alan groaned."I don't know! Someone else was obviously here," Alan answered, raising his hands in a conciliatory gesture to defend himself."I don't know how you want to convince Sheriff Dreg that you didn't kill
CHAPTER 33(P.S: THIS CHAPTER IS A CONTINUATION OF THE PROLOGUE. PLEASE READ THE PROLOGUE AGAIN FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING :) )"We have a problem," The head of security- Liam said, his voice sending tingles down Valerie's spine."What is it?" "I sent the young lady who was killed's body to the morgue immediately after I cleared the guests from the ballroom, and I just received a call from the morgue attendant that the body had disappeared," "Oh my God!" Valerie exclaimed, intrusively placing the back of her soft and pale hands over her mouth, her heart beating faster than ever."I wanted to notify Mr Carson about it but I couldn't get through to him no matter how much I tried," "I understand but… how did her body leave the morgue without anyone knowing? Did she fake her death?... It isn't possible for her to fake her death because Alex and Alan were in the office with her when she got shot! It was a direct hit to her stomach and she lay in a pool of blood. I made sure to check her p
BONUS CHAPTER MINI'S POV Mini wiped the tears away from her cheeks with her elbow as she held onto the steering wheel, skillfully swerving and keeping her eyes on the road to prevent them from having an accident. She heaved a sigh of relief when the path in her front revealed a tarred road. She unconsciously placed a hand on her sick husband's thigh and whipped her head around to check on him.Jonathan's head rested on the window and spit was gathered in the corner of his mouth. She lovingly wiped the saliva off the corner of his mouth and cleaned her hand on the back of her shirt. "We'll finally be happy after all these years," she whispered to herself. "I'm not apologetic about the fact that I chose you over Fareeda, Kai, and even our kids, because you matter the most to me," She said, squeezing his weak legs at that last part."I remember our first date at the asylum years ago. You were so sweet and I could see how much love you bore for me that you kept hidden inside. I am als
CHAPTER 35The ray of sunlight peeking through the expensive cotton curtains met Valerie's face and stirred her up from sleep. She woke up with a yawn and stretched her hands to the side a few times before stepping out of bed and then going to look at her reflection in the mirror. Her fingers grazed the purple bruises on her neck a few times before she stepped backward and checked her physique. The memories of what happened last night were still etched in her brain and she closed her eyes together tightly to try and forget a bit. A sorrowful sigh left her lips as she walked back to the bed and flopped herself on it. She picked up her phone and the first news that popped up was about an explosion that took place after the Cranberry forest. A curious look appeared on her face as she clicked on the news headline. "There were no survivors," She read out before dropping the phone and slipping the thin hand of her silk nightgown down her pale, milky shoulders. Her thoughts wandered of
CHAPTER 82 - FINAL CHAPTERValerie was discharged from the hospital a week later, and after they moved into their new home in the Maldives, Gideon never left her side. After several pleas, Gianna agreed to leave Fareeda alone and return to Spain, but not before forcing her son to appeal to the Spanish and Maldives governments to have Fareeda taken to jail, prompting her to go back into hiding. Fareeda continued to tail Valerie, her presence marked by the scent of her shampooed hair and body mist."Is this what she's going to do for the rest of our lives?" Gideon asked one evening while they were relaxing in their gazebo.A confused looking Valerie dropped the cocktail she was sipping and faced her husband, "Who? What are you talking about?" "Fareeda. I know she follows you around. Is she like your bodyguard? Did she make a pact with you to ignore living her own life to focus on yours? It's absurd how everywhere that you are, the wind still carries the aura of a second person," Valer
CHAPTER 81"I'm sorry! It was the alcohol!" Scarlett's screams and sobs rang in Valerie's mind as she gained consciousness while in the hospital. "She's going into labor now!" The nurses yelled as she felt herself being placed on a stretcher, and then being rushed into the emergency room."She is in a critical condition, sir! We cannot allow her to push while she is unconscious, she may lose her life!" Another nurse screamed at Gideon."I can see the baby's head!" Another nurse added. "Get Doctor Michael! Where is Doctor Michael?" This was the thing about pregnancies and going into labor, everyone was always so stressed out and crazy. Even as she felt weak, she could still tell what was going on around her. She could hear the loud thumps and thuds on the floor, the click and clack of the nurses' block hills. The clean smell of the white walled hospitals, and the smell of fresh blood oozing out of her vagina.On hearing a nurse suggesting the emergency room, her eyes flew open, "I do
CHAPTER 80Seven months later. Gideon had the whole suitcase cleared out and taken to his private jet because his parents decided that it would be better for Valerie and the babies in her stomach to have the chance to take in the good life in a different environment. Actually, the doctor said so, but everyone except Valerie agreed to it.Valerie hated many things about pregnancy, but one of the things that she hated most was the fact that she wasn't having one, but two babies.She almost fainted at the gender reveal party that her in-laws hosted two months ago because she was scared to have one baby, but now two was indeed a crowd. But, so far, being pregnant in the McCarthy household has been great. Everyone was wrapped around Valerie's fingers, she had had numerous tea parties thrown in her name, been sent congratulatory notes and presents from Spain's big dogs, including the president, Fareeda sent her two lovely electronic cots and with beautiful notes, and Gideon's mom visited
CHAPTER 79 Three Months laterFareeda threw a robe over her head and drove to the area where the former Carson estate was situated.Yellow and black tapes were draped over the large gates, and some post signs that had, "Do not trespass," written on them were placed in front of the estate.She peeked through one of the holes in the gate and found the estate, dark and empty. Neither the streetlights nor the house lights were turned on.A few days after the news of Alan's demise got out, his mother and wife sold the estate, the remaining shares they have under Carson Innovations, and left the United States to God knows where leaving Alex Carson to rot in prison for the rest of his life.Fareeda has never felt sorry for anyone in her life, but she believed that no matter how evil a person may have lived their life, they still deserved a second chance.The Carsons that she had spent almost ten years trying to destroy were now ground to dust. Their ruin was one of the best things that e
CHAPTER 78Fareeda raised her hands to her shoulder and stepped backward, "We used to be friends, Valerie," she warned."That was before you stabbed me in the back!"Fareeda clicked her teeth, "I know I hurt you by not telling you anything, and your father didn't deserve to die by my hands, but Val, you don't know how desperate I was! I was ready to kill anyone who got in my way!" She confessed."And, what did that old and frail man do to get in your way?" Valerie asked, angrily."He helped me get some things done and then wanted to back out when he saw how much you were in love with Alan. I was so obsessed with getting revenge on the Carsons, and I didn't want you to find out about any of it because you would have hated me and kicked me out at once. It's not like that would have stopped me from destroying the Carsons, but I didn't want to lose your friendship then, especially when you needed a shoulder to lean on," Tears gathered in the corner of Valerie's eyes, and she threw the gu
CHAPTER 77Gideon stretched his arm to turn off the blaring alarm sound. As he grabbed the phone on the bedside table he turned it off, realizing that it wasn't his phone."5 am? Why did she set an alarm when we slept late?" He asked himself with a puzzled expression on his face.He curled his head to the side, meaning to wake his wife up, but she wasn't there. He placed his hands on the empty space to feel it, and his heart dropped when he found the space cold."Valerie!" He yelled but there was no answer.He got up and moved to search the balcony, the bathroom, and the toilets, before leaving to check Maria's room.Maria opened the door after several knocks, "What is it, Gideon?" She inquired angrily."Uh…sorry to disturb you but, is Valerie here?" He asked, looking inside to see."No, why?" Gideon sighed dejectedly, leaning on the wall," We slept in the same room an hour to midnight after a long discussion, only for me to wake up and not see her next to me. She only left a note,"
CHAPTER 76NOTE: 'Silence' is a place in San Resort"Wedding bells?" Gideon asked, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.Maria nodded and paced around the place, the back of her hands shielding her nostrils, "We have got to keep moving. 'Silence' would surely be around here somewhere, we aren't just looking well," she said and walked towards Valerie who's eyes were half-closed.Tapping Valerie ferociously, Maria groaned as she watched her cousin lazily get up, "Stop being like this, Val! You're too slow and it's making me nauseous,""I'm trying," she replied in a soft voice as she leaned onto Gideon for support."You are not trying hard enough. We all saw the rotting priest in that chair, none of us fainted or fell. Yes, the smell was really bad, but we all smelt it. Give it a break, you overreact a lot and it's not even that deep, given that you have actually seen so many people die," Maria chided.Maria looked up and faced everyone else, "Now, guys… since Alan has given us n
CHAPTER 75SAN RESORTPOV- "Silence is a place in San ResortGideon's jeep pulled over at the San resort at noon because it was really far from their private island at Carriacou. Before they left, they packed some clothes and other things they would be needing, because somewhere that far, needed supplies.As they walked up to the reception, Maria pulled Valerie aside and asked, "For more clarity, did the resort officials ever tell you guys why you weren't allowed into 'Silence'?" Valerie shook her head sadly, "We even met with the CEO because he and Gideon were friends and business partners. Immediately he heard that we wanted to enter 'Silence', he shook his head and told us that only staff were allowed to enter. But, we pestered one of the staff to answer our questions, and he said that the CEO meant that only he was allowed into Silence, no one else," "This makes no sense Val. Why on earth is there a place in this resort that only the owner is allowed into?" Gale shrugged, butti
CHAPTER 74"One day, we find ourselves engulfed by passion and love.When I lose myself without any choice to make she is not right beside me, tending to my every need and want.One day, I close my eyes and I find her wrapped in the arms of another.I lose my mind but there's no loss in a fool's game," Maria said, pausing after reading out a chapter of Alan's prison diary.Valerie scoffed and threw her head back angrily, "Why does it sound like he's blaming everything on me?" "That is literally what he's saying. One day you guys were in love, and the next day you are loving someone else, that someone being Gideon," Maria answered, pointing toward him.The four of them sat in a circle, the phone to which the Californian police department sent pictures of the diaries to placed in Maria's hands as she read out the content of it.Gale nudged her girlfriend to continue and then she started to read another part, "A very discerning storm starts to rumble and she who swore by day and night t