CLAIRE'S POVGetting to meet Mirabel at the location. I found out there were lots of things left behind. I was trying to push the company to be in the first rank and not to struggle with the people behind it."Make sure all works are delivered today. Let all of them get their work done." I instructed my assistant.Mirabel was already getting confused, I didn't want to know about what was happening. I just want to make sure our customers are good."Al... alright ma." She stuttered while still going through the laptop.I got back into the car and drove away leaving her to figure out what to do.I drove through my son's school to see if I'd see anything fishy. Chloe came around and I don't trust her around my son's school.Using the word *beg* means she has something up her sleeve, and I have to be conscious of what is happening."I don't want Brain to see. I have to keep going." I whispered to myself and drove away.Back in the house, I continued with the work I had left behind. I will
LUCAS POVThe search was still ongoing while I tried to handle other things in the company. There were lots of things that needed to be done and the diamond was the main thing needed for some contracts to be gotten."May I come in?" Priscilla said from the door."Yeah, if that's important." I tried to pack up the files that were stocked up on my table."Sir, the company requested the contract, and this time, they are willing to pay a higher rate,", She explained, trying to bring out the files from the computer."What's the rate we are talking about here?" I stopped what I was doing."They are willing to pay at the rate of 1.5 instead of 1.2." She paused and clicked her tongue.It actually sounded interesting, but they'll need the diamond, too. There was no way they would accept the contract when we were not able to avoid something valuable and attractive. "Interesting. We are missing something, and until we find it, we are not to accept any contract." I snapped.Priscilla wasn't havi
LUCAS POVThe whole thing was unclear but I didn't give in to my thoughts."Bring the deals now," I ordered.My assistant, Priscilla came in with the things that needed to be signed. "Here there are." She dropped them on my table."Yeah, leave them there and come back to get it in the next thirty minutes." I was so busy with the drawer down that I didn't even look up."All right, sir." She turned to leave.I came up with an idea and had to stop her."Wait!" I took my heads up "I need you to organize a search party now. They are going to go through everything to make sure they find who walked in and out of the company." I paused thinking of what else to add there."And get to Charles. Make sure he checks all the footage of what happened in the company the past five days." I gestured for her to leave."Anything cringe, you report." "Yes sir." She departed.Now I am back to work. I didn't attempt to keep the diamond in any other office. I kept it with me.I needed to get it out as soo
CHLOE'S POVI had several plans for Claire. Eddie must have given up and refused to do any other thing. I wasn't going to let that girl take my place like I don't exist.For the next move, I was going for Lucas. I dressed up properly out of the house."I hope you won't stay long?" Mom asked."Oh, Mother, maybe I would. Depends." I shrugged.She patted my back and went back upstairs. I took my bags inside the car and headed for Lucas' house, I don't know what might become of him this evening. I needed to get there before him.When I got to Lucas' house, I noticed he wasn't back. I packed my car inside, I didn't want any trace of my movement.I got to his room and waited for him. Lucas took long to appear but I wasn't going to back down anyway. I got tired and decided to lie on the bed until he returned.I shut my eyes for a second and almost drifted into sleep, and then I heard the door open. He was here.Lucas was too stunned to speak. He just stood in front of the door; he wasn't e
CLAIRE'S POVI was locked up in this place. I felt as uncomfortable as ever, for every second I looked around and found out that they were watching me. I feel like I'm in prison already."I need to get out of here," I spoke to the cops who had just come in."You will have to admit the truth before they think of releasing you." He said and dropped a cup of coffee on the table."Accept a lie?" I scoffed and rolled my eyes."Here is your coffee. You might need that in the next interrogation." He nodded.What the fuck?"How many times am I going to get investigated?" "As many times as we could." He shut the door."Oh my God," I threw the cup away. The coffee spilt on the floor.I wish I could make more of a mess to get out of here. I'm in the middle of something that I don't know about and all they can do is to bring me a cup of coffee?"Lucas." I sighed.I don't know why I always have to get in trouble because of Lucas. My assistant must be calling me right now because we had a lot of
LUCAS POVMy eyes were open all through the night, and I couldn't sleep; what was she up to? It was morning already, I felt reluctant to get out of my reading room because I thought that she was still in the room.I lay down for some minutes, waiting for her to leave. "Argh, if I should wait I would not meet up with the things I have to do." I sighed and up.When I got to my bedroom, it was empty. I looked around to make sure that she wasn't around somewhere playing one of her tricks.When I had examined everywhere and found out that she had gone, I sighed In relief and threw the duvet on the bed..."What made her go so early?" I scoffed.I thought of what her face looked like when I threw her off me. It's funny how Chloe still thinks I would forgive her for the betrayal; I see nothing but selfishness. In everything that she does.I had limited time and had to be quick so that I could get to work early. I packed my suitcase and walked into the bathroom.I heard noises and had to look
CHLOE'S POVThe look on Claire's face when I got into the station. She just sat there like someone who had no one to look out for her.Of course, she doesn't have anyone. Lucas is just trying to be the hero and he might get killed if he doesn't try to stop."Miss, what do you have to show?" The Interpol asked.I gladly brought out my phone and showed her the video on the phone. Claire's face widened, she rolled her eyes several times just to get to see what was on the phone."What are you doing?" She mouthed the words.I bluntly ignored her and acted like I didn't get what she just said. The cops had checked the video and played it over and over..."What is going on?" Claire, out of curiosity, asked.No one said a word to her, they were all focused on the video I gave to them."I'll kill you.." She mouthed another word, and this time, I chose to respond to her."Is that a threat?" I asked aloud."Huh?" The Interpol looked away from the phone."She is threatening to kill me," I said to
LUCAS POVI got to the office, and the cops directed me to the room. They said all kinds of things that I had no idea about, I just wanted to know if the accusations were true and what I'd have you do next."We have looked into the situation for a long while, sir, and I think she is guilty of it." The lady explained.Now this was getting interesting because this is not what I was expecting. I do not see Claire as someone who would do this and until the footage in the company was well looked into, the case would not be addressed."This is the witness with the proof." She pointed at a girl.I turned to see Chloe standing there with a blank expression. I don't know what exactly to say but I just wanted to slap the hell out of her.I knew she didn't come over to my place because she missed me or for some stupid reason; she had something in mind."Chloe, what are you doing here?" I questioned looking all furious.The cops were confused and tried to calm me down. "What evidence are we talk
Claire sat across from Lucas and Prince Will in the small café near the courthouse, her hands wrapped tightly around her coffee cup. The warm steam curled into the air, but she barely felt it. Her mind was set on what she was about to say.Lucas watched her carefully, his deep honey-gold eyes filled with something unreadable. Prince Will, on the other hand, leaned back slightly, observing her with quiet curiosity.Claire took a deep breath. “I’ve made a decision,” she said finally.Lucas’s jaw tightened slightly. “What decision?”Claire exhaled. “I’m moving away. I’m taking Brian with me to another city.”Silence.Lucas’s entire body went still. PrinceWill raised an eyebrow but said nothing.Lucas’s fingers tapped against the table once, twice, before curling into a fist. “You’re taking Brian away from me?”Claire swallowed hard. “Lucas, after everything that happened… I need a fresh start. Brian needs a fresh start. He deserves to live in a place where he isn’t constantly looking ove
Claire sat in the hospital waiting room, her hands clenched together so tightly that her knuckles turned white. The sterile smell of antiseptic filled the air, and the soft murmurs of nurses and doctors blended into the background. But she heard none of it.All she could think about was Lucas.He had lost so much blood. The doctors had been inside the operating room for hours. Every time the doors swung open, her heart leaped into her throat, but it was never the news she wanted.Her entire body was stiff with exhaustion, but she couldn’t rest. Not when his life was hanging by a thread.She leaned forward, burying her face in her hands. “Please, just let him be okay,” she whispered to no one in particular.A sudden commotion near the nurses’ station caught her attention. Several people had gathered around the television mounted on the wall, murmuring among themselves.Claire frowned and slowly stood up, walking toward them. The screen displayed breaking news, and her heart nearly st
Lucas barely had time to react.A sharp pain exploded at the back of his head as Chloe struck him, making him stumble forward. He caught himself against the wall, breathing heavily, trying to stay steady.“Don’t move,” Chloe hissed.Lucas turned his head slightly and saw her holding a gun, her hands trembling just enough to show her nerves.“Chloe,” he said slowly, keeping his hands where she could see them. “You don’t want to do this.”Chloe let out a bitter laugh. “You think you know what I want?” Her grip tightened around the weapon. “I wanted you, Lucas. I wanted us to be together, but you threw me away like garbage!”Lucas took a cautious step forward. “You know that’s not true.”“Don’t lie to me!” Chloe shouted, her breath ragged. “You chose her. You always chose her!”Lucas exhaled, forcing himself to remain calm. One wrong move and this could end badly.“I didn’t choose anyone, Chloe. This isn’t about that. It’s about you making the wrong choices,” Lucas said, his voice steady.
Kelvin sat in the interrogation room, his hands cuffed to the table, sweat dripping down his forehead. The walls felt like they were closing in, and the harsh overhead light made it impossible to escape the cold, hard truth—he was caught.Across from him, PrinceWill leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. His gaze was sharp, unwavering.“Let’s try this again,” PrinceWill said. “Who else was involved?”Kelvin licked his dry lips. “I already told you everything.”PrinceWill tapped a pen against the table. “Lying won’t help you, Kelvin.”Kelvin clenched his jaw, looking away.PrinceWill sighed. “We already have enough to put you away for a long time. The only thing that’ll make your life easier is if you cooperate.”Kelvin’s fingers twitched. He knew he didn’t have a way out of this.“Fine,” he muttered. “Chloe.”PrinceWill didn’t react, but his grip on the pen tightened. “Go on.”Kelvin exhaled heavily. “She planned everything. She was the one who arranged for Brian to be taken to the
PrinceWill sat in his office, his eyes fixed on the stack of reports in front of him. The search for Brian had gone cold, and frustration was eating him alive. Claire had been coming to the station every single day, her face pale with exhaustion, her eyes swollen from endless crying. It hurt to see her like that.He had promised to help her. He couldn’t fail.A knock on the door made him glance up. One of his officers stepped in, looking hesitant.“Sir, we still haven’t recovered any CCTV footage from the night Brian was taken. It’s like everything was wiped clean,” the officer said.PrinceWill let out a slow breath, rubbing his temples. “There has to be something. No way a child disappears in a city like this without leaving a trace.”The officer sighed. “We’ve checked all nearby buildings. All footage was mysteriously deleted.”PrinceWill clenched his jaw. This wasn’t a coincidence. Someone had done this on purpose.“Sir,” another officer peeked into the room, his expression tense.
Chloe smirked as she looked through the small window into the children’s area.Brian was sitting alone, his little face filled with sadness.Soon, he would be out of the picture for good.And Claire would never see him again.Brian kicked his legs slowly as he sat on the wooden bench inside the orphanage playroom, watching the other children run around. He didn’t want to play. He didn’t want to be here.He wanted his mother.Tears stung his eyes, but he blinked them away. His mom always told him to be strong. But how could he be strong when he was stuck in this place with no idea when he would see her again?Then he saw her.His little heart pounded as he spotted the familiar blonde-haired woman walking through the hallway, her heels clicking against the floor.Chloe.She was the one who brought him here.She knew where his mother was.Brian jumped up, his small feet moving as fast as they could. He ran toward her just as she was about to step into an office.“Miss… please.”Chloe sto
Lucas stormed into his office, his entire body rigid with anger. His assistant, Mark, stood near his desk, looking anxious.“You need to see this,” Mark said, handing Lucas a file.Lucas barely glanced at it before slamming it onto the desk. “Tell me what happened.”Mark hesitated. “Kelvin called for a vote. He convinced the board members that your absence was harming the company.”Lucas’s eyes darkened. “And they listened?”Mark swallowed. “Most of them. But I called Camila.”Lucas’s jaw clenched at the name.Camila.His former love interest.It had been years since they last spoke, but she still held significant power in the company after inheriting her late father’s shares.Mark continued, “She arrived just before the final vote. As soon as she voted no, the others started reconsidering. Almost all of them joined her.”Lucas exhaled slowly, his hands tightening into fists.“So I’m still CEO.”Mark nodded. “Yes. But Kelvin isn’t backing down. He acted like nothing happened, said he’
Lucas lay on his bed, his body burning with fever. His head felt like it was splitting in two, his muscles weak, his throat dry. He barely had the strength to lift his arm, let alone get up. The room was dimly lit, curtains drawn shut, and the air was thick with silence.He had ignored his health for too long. Days without eating properly, sleepless nights filled with stress, and now his body had given up on him.A cold hand touched his forehead, and he groaned, shifting slightly.“Shh,” a soft voice murmured. “Just rest, Lucas. That’s all your body needs for now. Stop fighting it.”He forced his heavy eyelids open, his vision blurry. A figure sat beside him, a damp cloth in her hand. He blinked, trying to focus.Chloe? He wondered as his body tensed immediately.“What… are you doing here?” His voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.Chloe gave him a small smile, pressing the cloth against his forehead. “Taking care of you.”Lucas tried to move, but his limbs felt too weak. “How di
Chloe pulled her coat tighter around her body as she stepped out of the car. The orphanage stood before her, an old brick building with a rusted iron gate. Children played in the front yard, their laughter ringing through the air. The sight made her sick.She wasn’t here for charity.With a confident stride, she walked through the entrance, where a woman in a long, dark dress stood behind a desk. The woman, Sister Agnes, looked up from a pile of papers, adjusting her glasses as Chloe approached.“Good afternoon,” Sister Agnes greeted, offering a warm smile. “How may I help you?”Chloe forced a sad expression onto her face, lowering her gaze. “I’m here to… to give my son up for adoption.”Sister Agnes’s smile faltered. “Oh, dear. That must be very difficult for you.”Chloe let out a dramatic sigh. “It is,” she whispered, looking down as if holding back tears. “I love him so much, but I can’t give him the life he deserves.”Sister Agnes reached across the desk, gently touching Chloe’s