ADELINE’S POVFIVE YEARS AGOI had just signed the divorce papers and It felt like my heart was being ripped out. I stood in the middle of my bedroom, staring at the open suitcase on my bed. Clothes were scattered everywhere, and I couldn't focus on packing.My hands trembled as I picked up a dress and folded it, placing it carefully in the suitcase.Xander and I were over. There was no going back. He had left a blank cheque for me, asking me to write any amount I wanted as compensation. I hadn't even touched it. The thought of taking his money made me sick.I was leaving for Europe. I had decided to book a one-way flight to London. I needed to get away, far away where they would never find me or hurt me again.I had nothing in America anymore. Not a family, and not a husband. I took a deep breath and continued packing. My fingers brushed over a picture frame on the nightstand. It was a photo of Xander and me, taken on our wedding day. I looked so happy and he looked aloof.I coul
ADELINE’S POVI walked meekly in between the three men, my heart racing. As we walked out of the airport, I heard the announcement for my flight to London. There was nothing I could do; I couldn't even run away.We exited the airport, and my breath caught in my throat. Four sleek black SUVs were parked in a line, each one looking more imposing than the last. Security personnel stood around the cars, scanning the area with sharp, watchful eyes. They looked like they were prepared for anything.I was terrified. My legs felt weak, and my hands shook."What do they want with me?" I asked, my voice quivering.The man who had spoken to me earlier looked at me with a hint of sympathy. "The Qylers family wants to see you."The Qylers family. They were the richest family in America, the kind of wealth that spanned generations. The kind of family you only heard about in the news but never saw in real life. What could they possibly want with me?I glanced at the cars again, feeling my fear dee
ADELINE’S POV"Who are you?" I asked, whispering.She smiled softly. "You can call me Mama," she said, her eyes twinkling with warmth. "I know this is all very confusing, but you are home now and you are safe here."I looked at the old woman who just asked me to call her Mama. Her eyes were kind and filled with warmth. I didn't understand why she wanted me to call her that.The door opened again. A man walked in. He was in his sixties, tall and imposing. His face was familiar. I knew him immediately. He was Qyler Devonte, one of the richest men in the world. I stood up, my heart racing. What was going on?Qyler came closer. He wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. "Welcome home," he said softly.I was more confused than ever. My mind was spinning. What was going on?He stepped back, his eyes glistening. The old woman, who called herself Mama, stood beside him, her hand on his arm. They both looked at me with such intense emotion."Please, sit down, dear," the woman said gently
ADELINE’S POVI sat on the bed in the room they showed me was mine. It was the most beautiful room I had ever been in my life. This was a real-life castle room. The walls were painted a soft, creamy white with golden accents. Large windows let in the bright, warm sunlight, and there were heavy, red velvet curtains that looked like they came straight out of a fairy tale. The bed was enormous, with a canopy draped in sheer, white fabric. It felt like sleeping in a cloud.There were delicate, antique furniture pieces all around. A vanity with a large mirror, a wardrobe that looked like it could hold a hundred dresses, and a plush armchair by the window. The carpet was thick and soft, almost like walking on a field of flowers. Everything in the room seemed magical, like it belonged in a dream.Going from divorcing my husband and trying to flee the country to discovering I was the only heir and grandchild of one of the richest men in the world was mind-blowing. I couldn’t even fathom h
ADELINE’S POVThe door opened, and my grandmother walked in. I still felt awkward calling her "Grandmother," so I just called her by her name, Lucy."Adeline, how are you doing today?" She asked, her voice gentle "I'm good," I replied, trying to match her warmth. "Just enjoying the garden."She smiled and sat down beside me. "That’s wonderful. I’m glad you’re feeling at home here."I nodded, feeling a bit shy. "Thank you for everything. I really appreciate it."She placed a hand on mine. "Of course, dear. We are so happy to have you here. We’ve missed so much time with you."I looked down, feeling a bit emotional. "I happy you brought me here too."She cleared her throat softly. "Adeline, I wanted to talk to you about something important."I looked up, curious. "What is it?"She smiled reassuringly. "We’ve been planning a ball for you. It’s to formally introduce you to society, to the business world. It’s a big event."My eyes widened. "A ball? For me?""Yes, dear. It’s strictly by
ADELINE’S POV***I have been at the Qylers mansion with my grandparents for a month now. Every day, I followed my grandmother around the grand estate. She made sure everyone knew I was her granddaughter and the heir to her fortune. Everything was perfect. The workers at home loved me and treated me like the young heir.I had everything I wanted. That morning, I woke up early and exercised in the gym. I had been doing that since I came to Washington. After my workout, I went home, showered, and dressed in a simple but elegant outfit. As I was brushing my hair, a maid knocked on my door."Miss Adeline, your grandparents are calling you downstairs," she said softly."Thank you. I'll be right down," I replied.I headed downstairs to the living room, where my grandmother and grandfather were waiting for me. They were sitting on the plush sofas, looking serious. I felt a little nervous as I approached them."Good morning, Grandmother, Grandfather," I greeted them with a smile."Good morn
ADELINE’S POV***The morning sun streamed through the tall windows of my room. I stretched and yawned, feeling the soft sheets beneath me. Just as I was about to get up, there was a soft knock on the door.“Miss Adeline,” the maid called softly. “There are flowers for you.”I sighed. Flowers again. Ever since I had told Tristan I had no intentions of marrying him, he had been sending flowers daily.I walked to the door and opened it to find the maid holding a huge bouquet of roses. A hundred of them, at least.“Where are these from?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.“Mr. Tristan,” she replied. “He’s downstairs, waiting for you.”I sighed again and took the flowers, placing them on the table. I threw on a simple dress and headed downstairs. As I descended the grand staircase, I saw Tristan standing by the entrance, looking up at me with a hopeful smile.“Why do you keep sending flowers?” I asked as I reached the bottom of the stairs.“Well, I’m trying to get on your good sid
ADELINE’S POVMy grandfather looked at me like I was mad."Your own business?" he asked, shocked. I nodded, determined to convince him just as I had convinced my grandmother."Yes," I said, my voice firm. "I want to start my own business.""But you have everything here," he said, still in disbelief. "You're my heir. I'm leaving everything to you."I smiled at him, trying to ease his worries. "I know," I said, taking his hands in mine. "But I feel like everything is being handed to me. I want to know what it's like to do something for myself."He looked at me, his eyes softening. "Are you sure about this?" he asked. "Starting a business is not easy.""I'm sure," I said, nodding. "I want to try. I need to try."He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "You know I will always support you, right?""I know," I said, squeezing his hands. "But I want to do this on my own. You've already given me so much.""Like that Audi last week?" he asked with a small smile."Yes," I said, laughing a little.
ADELINE’S POV***I woke up slowly, feeling so groggy and disoriented. My body was so heavy and there was a dull pain in my side. I did not know why but the pain had my head hammering. I blinked against the bright light in the room and that was when I realised that I was not alone. A lot of questions ran through my mind as I wondered what had happened and why I was here. Someone was sitting next to me and there seemed to be a shocked look on their face when our eyes met. "Adeline?" The familiar voice came through. It was soft, like silk. I turned my head and sock Xander sitting right by my side. I felt an instant wave of relief and my heart swelled. I was so scared before this happened, so scared that something bad had happened to him but seeing him right here with me did a very good job with pushing off the pain for a little while. He was here with me, alive and okay. I blinked back the tears that were already starting to form. And that was the moment everything slowly started to c
FLORAL.I could barely breathe as I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles were already white. I knew what Tristan was planning and I couldn't let it happen because it opposed everything that we worked for. Yes, I knew he wanted to take revenge on those who put him in prison but if he was going to do that, he should go face Adeline's old man, not Adeline. She was innocent and did nothing to him. I was not going to let him hurt her, not after I'd met her. Of course she was going to be a problem if I wanted to get to Xander but she was innocent and she was a good woman. I had to stop Tristan no matter what it was going to take. The streets blurred past me as I sped down the road. My heart was pounding so loud in my ears that I drowned out everything else. Tristan couldn't kill Adeline. Not like this. Not over some twisted sense of revenge. I didn't know how I ended up in this mess. It wasn't supposed to be my fight. But here I was driving, driving madly towards the one person who cou
ADELINE'S POV***My hands wouldn’t stop shaking as I dialed my grandfather's number. I could barely think straight now as my thoughts were all over the place. It felt like my mind was running a hundred miles per hour but I wasn't going anywhere. What was I going to do now that it was clear Xander was in danger. I didn't even know where I was going to start from. How the hell was I going to find him? And it was clear from the foregoing that Matt had had the one behind this whole thing. He had abducted Xander and his phone was enough proof for that. He had also put on a mask to make me think that was Xander. That son of a bitch really did all this only to die a very disgraceful death. That was exactly what he deserved. But what if he'd killed Xander? The thought brought back the fear that was already building up. I needed to do something, and I hoped my grandfather would be able to step in with his connections. If it didn't work then I had no idea what else would. All I could think ab
FLORAL’S POV***I didn't know Adeline was in the house when I stepped out of my room. The moment I saw her standing there, my heart dropped. I should have been more careful. What was I thinking, walking out like that? But it was too late-- she had already seen me so there was no need to do anything suspicious now. But maybe there was still time, I thought to myself, glancing at her before I tried to duck back into the shadows. However, Xander’s mother, ever the gracious host, was quick to introduce me once she noticed I was behind her. "Adeline, this is my daughter, Floral," she said, gesturing to me with a proud smile. "Floral doesn't come around often." Adeline turned to me, scanning my face for a second and I held my breath. This was very bad because if she ever got to remember who I was, that was if she didn't know already, I was doomed. My palms were starting to sweat as I braced myself for her reaction. Would she recognise me? Would she say something? But instead, she smiled
ADELINE’S POV***I couldn't stop thinking about Xander. He hadn't come back since the day he told me he was going to stay at his mom’s house and I was disturbed because it could be the place where all his problems had started. Him acting weird must have been from there. He had been complaining about his sister before he came back and then everything had changed. He rarely talked to me and now he no longer complained about her. A lot of things were going on that I should be told about. But nobody was saying anything and it worried me so much. I wished someone could just let me know what was happening. But Xander was the only person I could talk to. He was the only one who knew what his problem was. It wasn't like him to just disappear like this, especially now that there was nothing bothering him, well, nothing that I knew of. He should have checked in lately but I'd heard nothing. My heart felt heavy as I paced around the living room. If I hadn't called him yesterday to know if he
FLORAL’S POV***I watched from a distance as Matt got out of his car and entered the pub. My heart raced but I had to keep my composure because this was going to work. It was either this night or never. This was the moment I'd been waiting for. I needed to find out who he really was. I had suspected for a while that something was off about him, and now I was going to prove it. I quickly made my way to his car, careful not to draw attention. The street was quiet, and only the occasional sound of passing cars in the distance was the only thing I heard. I approached his car and glanced around to make sure no one was watching. Then, I reached into my bag and pulled out the small hidden camera I had planted earlier. I couldn't risk leaving it there for too long, just in case he checked his car for anything suspicious. My hands shook slightly as I retrieved the camera, but I was careful to keep my movements steady. Once I had it, I slipped it back in my bag and quickly walked away, blend
XANDER’S POV***I tried to move but my body would not cooperate because every inch of me was hurting and it was starting to make me feel very dizzy. I was very worried because I did not want to pass out here because nobody would see me if I needed medical attention so I had to fight off every form of hazy feeling until I was sure that I was ok. My arms, my legs, my ribs- they were all on fire. I could not remember the last time I had eaten because my stomach was already growling and I was too weak to care. But do you think that terrified me the most was the fact that the room was very dark and there was nobody around. I could only help but picture that I had been left alone in some kind of Warehouse to die. My heart pounded very fast when I thought of that and as much as I told myself that his Men could be outside, there was still a possibility that they had left me alone here to die. I didn't even know if it was day or night because time had lost its meaning. I had tried to escape
TRISTAN’S POV***The weight of everything that had happened finally stayed to lift lift from shoulders. Sasha was dead. The hit man had done his job perfectly as there was no trace or evidence of who had done it. I felt so relieved because with her gone, there was no one left to testify against me, no one who could point fingers if things went wrong. That was the hardest mission so I guessed the rest would be very easy from here onwards. Now, I just had to take care of Adeline and Xander, before I could disappear. My time was coming, and I couldn't wait for it. I smiled to myself as I thought of my plan. Once they are gone, I'd be free to leave this place. But in the meantime I had to control everything from the shadows. I was happy that I had the capable hands. Sometimes I wished that this was the last mission, but then I was reminded that it was time to put my head down and do the rest. There was no promise of a better future if the rest were still alive. Thankfully, I had it all
SASHA’S POV***I sat on the cold, hard bed in my cell, staring at the ceiling. It had been a long day, just like every other day in this place. The routine, the noise and the walls closing in on me felt unbearable but that morning, something changed. My mother called. I was surprised when the guard came to inform me that I had a call. I thought they had abandoned me, that she had left me here to rot and die just like my father had abandoned us. And I wouldn't blame her for what happened because she was just as miserable as I was. The guard escorted me out of myself and walked me to the phone stand. My heart was drumming when I picked it up. Has something bad happened? Or was she going to just tell me that the divorce had been finalised? If it was the latter, I didn't want to hear anything about it. Since my father had decided to give up on me, I didn't want anything to do with him again. I listened in on the phone and her voice came through. "Sasha, honey." Her voice was so sweet,