PaybackChloe’s POVI walked out of Lucas’s house remembering the distasteful glance he had given me, I will make him pay. I clench my fists in annoyance,“Such humiliation all because of that stupid girl! Arrgghh!” With trembling hands, I opened my phone and I brought out my phone. I’m not going to let a mere bitch ruin my love life. “Mother.” The moment the call went through, I did not hesitate to strike while the iron was hot. “Yes, Chloe dear. How have you been? How’s Lucas?” Tears welled in my eyes thinking about our last moments.“Mother, Lu-, Lucas, he’s with another woman.” I tried to control myself but I just couldn’t hold it in. I was trembling, and tears were flowing freely from my eyes. I didn’t even care that I was on the road. “What?! Chloe, don’t spit nonsense. You can’t believe the media with all their rubbish, okay?” “No mother, I saw it with my own eyes. He, he even carried her son. Mother, you know Lucas has always been indifferent to people apart from me, that
Eddie’s POVMeeting Chloe“That bastard! The moment I leave this hospital, I will cut his limbs into two! I swear to God almighty.” I gritted my teeth, annoyance burning in my chest. “You should find a way to get to his girlfriend, I hear that they are no longer together. She seems to be quite the case. You know, the type we’re looking for to …finish that bastard once and for all.” Jack said, his legs crossed on each other. He was in a better case than me, apparently,y, and got back to his feet just six hours after some prescriptions. And I, I was here writhing in pain on this bed. The poison had slipped alloverf my body, and the doctors couldn’t get all of the poison out, so I was stuck here in this hospital recuperating. As if things were not bad enough, the toxins in the poison would only become worse as the day came; I now had just ten years to live on this Earth. Thanks to that stupid bastard. “Before I leave this Earth, I will take him down or we will both go down together. Bu
Claire’s POV Danger“I would go back to Lucas but only after I show him that I am worthy enough to be his mother’s child. I will show all of them that I am fit to be his wife.” My hands were shaking but determination was brewing in my heart. I was going to get my son. By all costs. I would get him. “But first, I, I need a new house. I don’t have anyone or any pl, place.” I stared around in silence. I had no friends, and I tried my best to keep Brian private. “My PA.” I breathed a sigh of relief, and I quickly walked to her place. I needed to rest and sort myself out. I picked up my phone, and I dialled her phone, praying desperately she would pick up. “Hello, good day ma’am.” She sounded panicked like she was being rushed but I was in no mood to care. “Are you at home? Now?” I ignored her greeting and I walked gradually to her place. “Yes, no, I mean, I’m on my way out.” I furrowed my eyebrows at her frantic responses. Something was happening. “What’s going on?” “A little fam
Jack’s POVKidnapping Claire“Whoa. They’re scared, aren’t they?” I flicked the lights on ready to enjoy another show. The one I had planned to enjoy in the morning, all thanks to that junk, was destroyed, and we both landed up in the hospital. “Jack! What do you want?! For you to stoop so low, you even threatened my employee, how dare you?!” She was shaking and shouting but fear was written all over her. “Threaten your employee? You must be mistaken here, ma’am. I don’t threaten people.” I walked close to her, excited at how wide her eyes had gone. “How? You betrayed me?” She stared at her PA’s face hoping to receive an answer. How pathetic. “And most importantly, that’s not your employee.” I dragged my gun along the walls, gradually getting ready to return all the hits I had suffered earlier today. “You, who are you? Explain yourself? How did you, what’s going on?” She shakes her head as if that’s going to hold her from receiving the pain I intend to inflict on her. “That’s go
Eddie’s POVWithdraw“Have you called the damn bastard Lucas?” I wheel in myself on my wheelchair seething in pain. I comfort myself telling myself I will soon return the pain, an eye for an eye. “Ed? Eddie?” Claire was shivering; heavy beads of sweat dropped from her face and her neck. “Thank your God your silly man managed to get me on these chairs. You’ll be on your knees giving me some satisfaction.” Just thinking about it makes me rock hard. She was very lucky, but luck doesn’t always come. “I would rather die than let you.” One of my men silenced her with a hot, dirty slap. I smirked, and I turned to look at Chloe; there she was, shivering and quivering; she had seen how I manhandled one of our experiments on this wheelchair. She sure was scared. I never had it in my mind to harm any of them,m but I intended to inflict fear on Chloe so it wouldn’t be a problem getting her to work for us. At this point, she would do everything we told her to. The life of her career was in ou
Lucas’s POVRescue“Shit!” Anger coarses through every path of my veins. If only I let her stay, if I had just ignored her for a tiny second, I wouldn’t be here. I pick up my phone to call the police, and I stop. Bringing the police to him would be the same as angering a madman. I pace to and fro trying to think of a solution. My mind is messed up and I can’t seem to accommodate any tangible thoughts. I take a deep breath and I go ahead to dial the police. “Mr Lucas, if she has not gone missing for more than twenty-four hours, our policy forbids us from attending to cases like hers.” My eyes go red as their words sink in my ears. I stare at the location on my phone. I have no choice. “Brian,” I mutter in a whisper, and I quickly call my men. My hands are shaking and I try my best to act as calm as I should. “Report to my house immediately.” I clear my throat aware that pain is telling in my throat. I open my wardrobe and I throw in all of my portable guns in my pockets. “We have v
Eddie’s POVWrithing AgonyI stand there, my heart beating faster than usual. I expected Claire to run to Lucas like her life depended on it which now it did. But here, she was walking one step at a time. “Common now, for the love of Christ, pick the damn pace stupid!” My hands are shaking, if anything happened to Claire, Lucas would not spare a second thought in finishing me. That I know for sure. “If anything happens to her, consider yourself dead.” His cheeks tighten and I hurriedly signal my men.“Claire, please, I beg of you, don’t do this, please. Fine, you can come back home, please. Don’t do this, please. Think about Brian. I beg of you please.” His voice becomes hoarse and his eyes turn red. “I will not allow them to keep mocking you like this, Lucas; I will die now and put an end to all of this. I’m sorry.” Her tears made her eyes glitter so bright, and anger burned in me, realizing she was not mine. “If only you made the right choice and just accepted me rather than thi
CLAIRE'S POVBeing put in such a risky thing for anyone to do, Eddie went too far and I knew that this was Chloe's plan. I could feel myself gradually accepting that I would not make it. I didn't see any reason to let Lucas save me, when I could just end everything and let the whole matter die.The whole game was over but I know that was not the end, Eddie would never want to be seen weak. So, he'd consider a way of taking his revenge."Mommy!!" Brain ran to me and embraced me.My heart melted and tears dropped out of my eyes when he touched me. This was someone I wanted to leave a few minutes ago because of some pain that I could deal with ."How are you doing my boy?" I held his head tight and fondled his hair."I miss you mom. You just left without letting me know of your location." He made his voice so tiny that I could tell he had cried."Mommy is back, there is no need to worry about where we went." I held him tight.This Time I kissed him on the forehead and released him. Luca
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