CHAPTER 40THREE DAYS LATERValerie held Alan by the arm and escorted him to the estate's hanger where his helicopter was. The captain gestured a salute toward Valerie and she nodded back."So, this is goodbye," he said softly with a smile on his face."Yeah, not forever though. You'll come back for me right?" She asked with a glint in her eyes. He cupped her face and pressed both their heads together and whispered softly, "Yes Cara," "Can I say? I love it when you call me Cara. It reminds me of my dad. You picked it up from him right?" A small smile appeared on Alan's lips as he nodded in affirmation, "I figured that you wouldn't miss him as much if I called you his favorite given nickname," "That wouldn't work anymore because you're leaving. Now, I'd miss him more than ever," She said sadly and he raised his head to place a kiss on her forehead."I got you a journal. I asked one of the estate maids to leave it in your room. I know that we are going to be on video call every sing
CHAPTER 41 Click, clack. Click, clack.Hollow footsteps could be heard from where Valerie sat, cross-checking the staff's credentials, she raised her head to where she heard the footsteps come from with a puzzled look on her face as to who that may be. "Alex," she whispered, her face filled with horror at his sudden but not unexpected arrival. She thought he was probably going to take like a year to process the thoughts of his brother sleeping with his wife but she was wrong.Alex walked into the living room, dressed in an all-black suit, with his long hair slicked back with a gel and then tied at the back to form a short ponytail. His aura screamed evil and desirous and the smirk that appeared in the corner of his lips even added to the fear she felt in her heart."What's going on here?" Alex asked, interrupting her train of thought with this thunderous voice. Valerie cleared her throat as she wanted to answer, "I'm taking them through a series of examinations. I discovered th
CHAPTER 42KNIGHTSBRIDGE, LONDON Alan inputted the password to unlock his luxurious penthouse, he was met with the scent of wood musk, carried on a warm current of air. He closed the door behind him and glanced down the long hall. He had not been home for close to four months and he was sure that he didn't forget to tell his AI home assistant- Shirley to turn off all the lights."Shirley, lights please," Alan said, and the lights started to come on one by one, illuminating the whole place and even accentuating the large space's beauty.He looked toward the large window that cut across the length of one wall and gave a breathtaking view of the city skyline. A sense of nostalgia filled him as his mind drifted back to the bustling Californian cities. Knightsbridge was a quiet place, perfect for people who don't like to be disturbed. But now, all of that seemed to fade into the background, as Alan stood transfixed by the light spilling out from the half-opened door at the end of the hall
CHAPTER 43LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Valerie lay in bed unable to sleep, she tossed, turned, and changed positions several times but she still didn't bat an eyelid. She even resorted to closing her eyes and imagining different scenarios- that was her favorite way to fall asleep if she couldn't or didn't feel like it. Even as she had had a long day, this sleep wouldn't still come. It wasn't because she had anything in mind or she was crying or maybe plotting how to kill Alex in his sleep, but because she had a severe headache, tummy ache, and she felt a bile in her throat. She clutched her stomach and squeezed it for the fifth time in less than twenty-five minutes and she felt the sudden urge to vomit. She got up abruptly and raced to the bathroom sink to puke. When she finished, she washed her face, and her mouth, and thought maybe the reason why she was feeling a tad bit sick was because she had been working tirelessly to find the Carson Innovations downfall orchestrator.
CHAPTER 44FLORIDA "What is your name?" Fareeda asked the handsome driver."Peter," He said and just stared ahead while making eye contact with her in the rear mirror."What's yours?" He asked as he swerved the car to the other side of the road and took a turn, Fareeda clutched her phone in one hand, looking at where they were.Thirty minutes to the nearest police station, and she had been monitoring it ever since she suspected this guy to be a cop. "People don't kill unless they have a reason to. Drop the act you're simply getting in the way of real justice if you try and put cuffs around my wrists," she said, and a sinister smile appeared on Peter's face as she continued. "I really hate people that pretend to be smart. There wouldn't be any smug smile on your face if you don't stop the car right now and let me get out peacefully," Peter just ignored her and continued driving. She heard a clicking sound and that was when she realized that he had locked her in.She looked outside t
CHAPTER 45 Fareeda fizzled around with the key in her pockets while turning her head around to check if anyone was coming. For now, she wasn't interested in any small talk or long talk, she just wanted to take a hot bath, eat strawberry oatmeal, drink cranberry juice, throw the bloody clothes she was wearing away, watch the last episode of Love Island, and then sleep. Any other plans she had would have to wait till tomorrow.She opened the door, and the familiar scent of raspberries filled her nose as she shut the door. Lord, she missed her bed. "Hopefully, I don't have any more far away jobs I need to handle," she muttered to herself and started stripping herself off her clothes before entering the bathroom and washing up.After she had her bath, she moved to where the light switches were and turned them on, illuminating the room and causing her to kick those bloody clothes under her drawer. She turned back and the look on her face spelled horror as she saw Alex on her swivel c
CHAPTER 46Days later, in the quiet solitude of her room, Valerie traced her delicate fingers over her flat and warm belly as she rocked herself forward and backward on the rocking chair that she got from Shein last week. She was a hundred and one percent sure that she had taken dozens of birth control pills after having sex with Alan. What was she going to do now? What are people going to say? What are his parents going to say?She imagined a scenario of her and Alan informing his parents together about her pregnancy… except, it wasn't for the man she married. She could picture the shock on their frail faces when those words comes out of their mouths, "Mom, Dad. We are pregnant," The only positive thing that could come out of this interesting piece of information is that she was pregnant with their grandchild immediately after their first grandbaby passed. The blogs were going to eat this up if they ever found out, but it was hard to keep a secret when you live a life as an unpre
CHAPTER 47 The soft glow of the computer screen cast a pale light in Fareeda's dimly lit office as she sat hunched over her desk, her fingers danced across the keyboard with ease, and her tongue constantly moved to lick her lips and twist them out of impulse. Alex thought that his little confrontation days ago would have done something to change her mind about ruining him and his self-entitled family, but he didn't know that he was in for the surprise of his life. Even if she knew Alex was a dimwit, she wished she knew what was going on inside his big, empty head. He was definitely planning something but she was ready for him.A smirk appeared on her lips as she began to form a composed and carefully worded email, her words laced with veiled threats and calculated manipulation. When she finished, her fingers hovered over the "Send" button and her heart raced with anticipation as a tight-lipped smile appeared on her lips. She felt a surge of grim satisfaction fill her and then