CHAPTER SIX: EVERYTHING IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS
"Game over,"...Valerie sat under the table, beads of sweat forming around her head as she struggled to keep her composure. She unbuckled her shoes and held them. If Alex found her she was just going to shove the heels in his eye socket and run.She heard the footsteps start to get closer and closer."Lord, " she whispered.Just then she heard a familiar voice."Alex, ""Mom and Dad wanted you and Valerie to make a toast, " Alan said, and Alex let out a low growl."How did you know I was here? " he asked"I followed you? " he said. "Wow, I have never seen this part of the house before, " he added, stepping into the room but Alex shoved him out of the room and locked it."I never want to see you here, " he said and Alan nodded.Inside the office, Valerie slowly rose to see if Alex was still inside, clutching her shoes tightly as she walked slowly and turning back swiftly to check if it was a trap. She sighed and made her way to check the other file cabinets in the room. Just then, she heard the door click open, and she froze.Her throat started to itch and water started to form at the corner of her eyes.When the door opened, Alan's handsome face came into view, staring straight at her with his piercing green eyes, his mouth twitched up to form a cynical smile, and Valerie just stared back, she looked behind him at the door which was already closed.She sighed and put her hands up in a conciliatory gesture, her countenance contorting into a mix of distaste and irritation."I knew I was going to like you, " he said and a bright smile appeared on her face as she put her hands down."Thank you for saving me, " Valerie replied"We've gotta get out of here before Alex comes back, he did not look happy, "Valerie nodded in agreement as she moved to leave the room, Alex took a key out of his pocket and opened the door holding the door for her so she could leave first.On the ceiling, in the corner of the room, a camera was mounted, with a small red light blinking. ~After Valerie and Alex made a toast to having a merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year- A tradition that happens every year, Valerie walked to sit down in the corner of the room, her eyes following Alex's every move and she only shifted her gaze away from Alex when Mini walked up to him and whisked him away."Should I be sorry for you or you are fine?" Alan asked as he took a seat next to Valerie"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" she inquired, maintaining a neutral tone"Well, you were hiding under a table just a little while ago," Alan notedShe rolled her eyes, turning to Alan."Mind your own business, " she retorted harshly"Is that the thanks I get for saving you from getting beaten up mercilessly by Alex? ""I said thank you earlier don't be so demanding,""I can help," he said and she looked up at him"With what? ""You want to ruin Alex, and I want to get the company back on the right track, we are losing contracts and our ratings are also decreasing because of Alex,""Is that the reason why you came to LA?" Valerie asked and he nodded.She sighed"It's not like I want to ruin him, if I wanted to I could have done that a long time ago. The only reason why I feel some kind of urge to ruin him is because he is giving me methods to,""Fair enough, but you haven't exactly said why you wanted to ruin him, I thought that he had been good to you and you love him?"She sighed, leaning back into the chair and staring into space."Everything is not what it seems Alan, ""True but, it can't be that bad, " he replied It was then that Valerie knew that she had misjudged this family at first for being creeps and allowing an adult to get married to a minor.They simply didn't know, but how? How did Alex manage to hide that kind of information?"I was 17 when Alex married me… " she startedAlex's mouth opened wide and didn't close until she finished narrating everything that happened five years ago and until then."I'm really sorry, "Tears gathered at the corner of Valerie's eyes and trickled down her face as she blinked, she quickly wiped them off with the back of her hand."I don't care whether or not he lets me out of the house or allows me to go to college or even make friends. I just miss my father, he's usually allowed to come and see me every year at the Christmas party, and the fact that he isn't here worries me. What if Alex did something to him?" she asked, allowing the tears to flow freely down her face.Alan immediately wiped her face and grabbed her hands, leading her to the guest bathroom."Everything sucks, I just wish it did not have to end like this. I am putting my life and my child's life at risk because I have a chance to escape, I have a vision of myself and my son finally being happy, how else will that be possible if Alex isn't gotten rid of? "More tears flowed down her face as she bent down to palm her face. Alan stared at her, sadness evident in his eyes as he moved to hug her. Wrapping his arms around her waist and then allowing her head to rest on his chest, he caressed the back of her head softly."Don't worry, everything will be alright, " he assured her.She moved away from him covering her face, he handed her a handkerchief and she mopped her face with it."I'll help you, " he said. The look that appeared on Valerie's face was a mix of hope and gratitude."Thank you, " she saidAlan nodded, smiling."I have a present for you, I mean it was a last-minute present that I just thought of, " Alan said and he watched as Valerie's expression twisted into one of confusion."I'm going to take you to see your father, " he saidValerie's eyes widened in surprise as she processed Alan's statement. Mixed emotions flooded through her - joy, anxiety, and a hint of hope. "You'd do that for me?" she asked, her voice slightly shaky.Alan nodded, smiling, and she proceeded to hug him, jumping on him and hugging him tightly before releasing her grip on him in realization."I'm sorry," she said, gritting her teeth. "No problem, we are friends and friends should always help each other, " he replied, giving her a tight-lipped smile"Let's go tomorrow, then, " she proposed."Alex is going to NYC tomorrow, " she said and he nodded in agreement.~The click-clack of block heels echoed down the dark and unlit hallway. A flashlight beam swept across the walls.'Click, clack, click, clack...'The woman in a black hooded cloak finally stopped in front of a door that read 'Alex Carson' in bold letters.She took out a set of keys from her pocket and fiddled with them until she found the right one. She inserted it into the keyhole and the lock clicked open.Pushing the door open, she stepped inside and closed it behind her.Running her hands along the desk, tapping on it slowly, walking over to his desk, and bending down in front of it. A wicked smile appears on her face as she comes across the drawers with fingerprint sensors. She gets up and makes her way to where the office camera is mounted. She takes out a small plastic bag from her pocket, removes the chewing gum from the bag, and sticks it on the camera, spreading it out.She stands in front of another door in the room and opens it. The computer is showing the view of the room. She studies the computer, figuring out the CCTV sequence in seconds. After a few moments, her fingers dance across the buttons, erasing all the records of today and then disabling the cameras. A satisfied smile appears across her face as she finds the sequence for disabling the fingerprint sensor drawers.After that, she makes her way into the room and opens the drawer. There are wads of cash in the drawer, but the only thing that interests her is the blue file hidden under the cash. She takes the file out, her eyes scanning it, and she puts it under her cloak. She places Alex's phone on the desk and walks out of the room with a vicious gleam in her eyes.The Carsons weren't ready for what was coming.CHAPTER SEVEN: FINALLYAlan woke up the next day to find out that his phone was missing. He looked over to see Valerie sleeping soundly under the covers, which irritated him. He let out an annoyed huff, got out of bed, and started searching for his phone. After thirty minutes of ransacking the entire room, he still couldn't find it."He walked up to where Valerie lay and picked up a pillow, smacking her head twice. She sat up, looking confused and dissatisfied."What is it?" she asked, holding her head and massaging it."I can't find my phone. Where did you put it?" Valerie scoffed, rolled her eyes, and got out of bed."How am I supposed to know where your phone is? Why don't you ask Mini?" "What do you mean by that? She is my assistant!" he growled."Who says she isn't?" Valerie countered."I don't know what you're insinuating or what's going on in your small brain, but whatever you think you're doing now. Stop it," he snarled, grabbing her wrists.Her countenance contorted into a
CHAPTER EIGHT: WHAT HAPPENED? Later that evening after Alex left the house to God knows where, Alan and Valerie got in their car and were headed to Valerie's father's home.There was silence in the car because both of them were unsure of what to say. After discovering that there may be someone trying to sabotage Carson's Innovation from the inside, Alan's mind hadn't settled. His grandfather had worked hard to build an empire and his father made it reach the peak of its career, just why would someone want to destroy them? Alan knew that if word of Alex's money laundering scheme got out, it was going to take a lot of PR, time, and money to cover up the scandals, and what if there were other things that Alex was doing and nobody knew?Last month, Alan received a call from Alex's manager that Alex hadn't paid them their salaries since June. He had to send a series of emails to Alex so he'd pay the workers. Everyone has their duties to do when it comes to managing the affairs of your co
CHAPTER NINE: THE FEELINGS I CAUGHT… "I didn't know you could speak Spanish," Alan said, smiling at her while he concentrated on driving. "I'm Mexican, we lived there until I was thirteen, my mom passed away and so my dad wanted us to move. Sad story but we managed to get through it. Right, dad?" Valerie asked her dad who lay in the back seat, staring into space.Alan was driving to the penthouse to drop Toby off. As they neared the penthouse, Valerie's heart kept bursting with excitement and happiness. It's amazing how there are still people as kind as Alan in the world. The horrible thing about what people say about them is that they don't last. She would not consider her father a bad person because he had never hurt or caused so much unbearable pain to anyone. She understood why he gambled and played dangerous games, he longed for the days that they'd be happy without worrying about not having what to eat for dinner. Many times, they'd only eat lunch during the day, and even if
CHAPTER 10: THIRST FOR REVENGE Alex came back to the estate after New Year's Eve, looking rather distraught and disheveled. Meanwhile, Alan received an email that a sum of 10 million dollars had been transferred to a secret account from the company and there were no traces leading to Alex.Alan hoped that he would put an end to this embezzling scheme once and for all but this particular withdrawal had nothing to do with Alex.Alex left for Ireland on the day that he went crazy about a missing blue file. This file would ruin Alex if it entered the wrong hands, but why would Alex keep such confidential information in a file and in his home? Two nights ago, the head of the board of directors for Carson Inn sent an email to Alan concerning fraudulent contracts and transactions in the attachment file that was sent, The file revealed a series of fraudulent contracts or transactions under Alex's name, showing that he has been withdrawing huge amounts of money away from the company for pers
CHAPTER 11: BLOOD AND DEATH "We have spent almost thirty million dollars, trying to cover up all the things that Alex brought upon us! What did we ever do to deserve this? " Alan cried, balling his fists and hitting his bed. "We'll figure it out, Alan, I promise. I am one hundred percent sure that whatever is happening now is connected with what happened with Mr Rize. However, everything is too fast for us to keep up with. Say we invite the police to investigate this matter? " Valerie inquired. "I don't want the company stocks to diminish more than ever, the police will not be involved, whatever happened with Mr. Rize has nothing to do with us," Alan said "An innocent life was lost, Alan! We have to help them. His family, they are devastated by what happened, what if everyone finds out that he sent an email to you before he passed, you will be the prime suspect, " "The email is gone, Valerie! And we don't have time to play detective, " Alan retorted harshly. "Alan, we have le
CHAPTER 12: MARKING A CARSONThe cloaked woman paced around her small, dark office, her steps echoing through the quiet room. The man who had shot at Valerie lay on the floor, held by ropes. He was groaning and writhing in pain. The woman paid him no mind, too consumed by her thoughts to care about what he was feeling."I told you not to shoot at Valerie! " she screamed. "I received orders, boss, " he yelled back, trying to stop the tears from flowing down his cheek"Orders from who? you moron. I am the only one who gives orders here! You take none from nobody, nobody has any right to give you lots orders," She rushed to where the man lay and grabbed his shirt. "Did she die? Is she dead? " she shouted and the man trembled in fear as the echo of her voice rang in his ear. He shook his head as his lips quivered. "I gave him the order Ximena! " a loud voice echoed in the corner of the room, and everyone looked up to see who it was. She rushed to him, grabbing him by the collar. "Don
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: NEGOTIATIONSLATER THAT EVENING"Valerie, you are supposed to be on bed rest," Alan said, seeing Valerie take slow steps towards him in the Estate parking lot, he rushed to assist her, placing one hand on her waist and the other on her shoulder and then opening the car door for her to sit inside. "You didn't tell me you were leaving for London now. You could have stopped to say goodbye," Valerie said sadly"I'm not leaving yet, I still have other things to do in LA. Did Alex come to see you already? " Valerie shook her head to say no and he let out an annoyed sigh. "He must be busy with Mini, " Valerie said sadly before forcing a smile."Busy with Mini?" He asked, and Valerie remembered that she hadn't told him that Alex was having an affair"Alex is sleeping with her, I guess she was who he was speaking with on the phone about wanting to elope," "That's not fair," he said softly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ears. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: LUST AND FERVORThe door squeaked open and the cloaked woman came into view. Her dyed blond hair was swept in a ponytail and her makeup was cleaned off to reveal her fresh, young, and beautiful face. "Mini, " she greeted, taking graceful strides toward where she sat. Mini was an embodiment of beauty, she had impressive teal green eyes, beautiful pale skin, curly red hair, full red lips, and charming dimples that lit up her eyes whenever she smiled, she was beautiful but would not be considered nearly as beautiful as Valerie. When photos of Mini and Alex were leaked, the board of directors voted for Mini to be fired from the company, but Alex had no plans to let her go, as she was one of his favorite side chicks. For someone who would willingly go down on Alex, Alex was never going to let her go, He was smitten to the bone.Mini sat on the swivel chair in the cloak woman's office, her hand on her chin as she stared her and Dreg down."Have you come here to honor o
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