Ali's lips opened wide as she yawned. Her hands stretched wide beside her, making her look like a cat. Her eyes were pressed against each other because of the sunlight that shone on her face. "Ooo...I forgot.. to close the window," she sighed. Dragging her butt along the bed, she stood up and went into the bathroom. Her face looked better than before. Having got an early sleep and a sound one at that, the tiredness in her eyes was gone. "Lucky me," she muttered before taking off her clothes to take a bath. The bathroom was just a small space that she could reach everything by simply stretching her hand. She went under the shower and scrubbed her body till it turned red. She wanted to get rid of the dirt on her brought by her affair with Gerald the previous day. She wished she could also wash her soul clean. After taking her bath, she cleaned everywhere, making sure to leave the house sparkling. Her aunt's house only had a bedroom, a tiny kitchen and a sitting room, so she
He was reminded of his promise to Ali's mother to look after Ali and her brother and if not for the emergency that came up with his family, he would have been able to help her pay the bills completely. The hospital had charged her 15 million, and he had footed the bill of 10 million. As the doctor in charge of her brother's operation, he didn't charge her any fees for himself. Ali's mother had been a great woman to him, and he found similar traits in Ali, even though recently he felt there was something going on with her. His memory of Ali's mother surfaced in his mind and the last conversation he had with her was what he remembered in particular. She was lying on the bed with an oxygen tube attached to her mouth, but she was still able to talk. He had been very worried about her, but the woman seemed not to be fazed about her condition. He could literally remember her bright eyes as he told him to take care of her children as if it were just yesterday. "My Ali is very devasta
Ali helped Harriet walk towards the front of the church. The place was scanty with fewer people sitting around conversing or talking or praying. She stared at the big cathedral in awe. She had never had the privilege of being there, and she wouldn't have been able to worship if Harriet wasn't with her. A pauper like herself could easily be intimidated by the luxurious cars parked outside and the fancy and expensive clothing and jewelry of the people. It was obviously a church for the rich and powerful, not the poor and weak. "Do you often come here Madam Harriet?" Ali asked, shifting her gaze to Harriet. Harriet's feet came to a halt and the elderly woman sighed deeply. She looked at Ali with her deep black eyes that reminded Ali of Gerald. "I've lost count on the number of times I told you to call me Grandma. Will you keep calling me that after the wedding?" She frowned with displeasure. "Oh. That's actually thrice," Ali forced a smile. She couldn't bring herself to call Har
The gate to the National Court of Law was left wide open as cars of various luxury brands and colors drove in and came to a halt in front of the office of the country's chief judge. The occupants of the first and last car were military men. They brought with them various types of modern military weapons to protect the Laverock family members. Bridget was the first to appear, and she looked both impatient and anxious. Her knee-length red designer sequence gown hugged her body, and her black hair was styled to fall to her shoulders. She clutched her silver purse tightly and glared at the building in front of her. Gerald appeared behind her, stepping out of a black Lamborghini. He looked hot and impeccable in his white three-piece suit. The buttons on his suit jacket were left open, revealing his hot body, which was outlined by the corset he wore underneath. He walked around, opening the back door for his mother, Angela. Angela, like Bridget, was dressed in a red jumpsuit. The
Darrien carefully opened the envelope and took out the letter. It was handwritten and even had Martin's signature at the bottom. He cleared his throat gently and began, "Dear grandmother, I sincerely apologize for what I am about to do. By the time you receive this letter, I should be on a ship sailing far away. Please forgive me if my actions have left you disappointed, but I am unable to marry the woman you have chosen for me. I figured you would not want an incompetent bastard like me as chairman and patriarch of the Laverock family. You love Gerald too much to let me overshadow him, and because of this prejudice, you wanted me to marry a woman of low status. Alice is only my type in terms of physical appearance; the rest is nothing. She is only meant to keep outside..." "That ungrateful mutt," Harriet spat, cutting Darrien halfway. Her eyes gleamed with a fierce light. She was furious that he thought of Ali as nothing more than a bed woman. Her gaze fell on Ali, who had
Since we have come to an understanding of what must be done, I'll have the judge draft out a marriage contract and the marriage certificate," Harriet said, moving towards the door. "Why are you interested in Ali? There are many other women out there that are better than her," Gerald turned to stare at his grandmother's back with curiosity. Harriet would never do anything without a reason. She was going an extra length in manipulating and playing everyone, and he didn't believe that it was just for the sake of having grandchildren. Harriet's back hunched slightly, and her back gave off a gloomy aura. She said, "I promised someone many years ago, but I failed him and lost the trust he had in me. I want to redeem myself through Ali," she sighed, and turned to Gerald. "I've made many mistakes, but I regret only a few and the promise I failed to keep is among them and that is why no matter what happens, Gerald, Ali must be a part of our lives. Does this fill your curiosity?" She aske
Ali held her head and felt like it was about to split in half. It started again, she noted. She hadn't gotten this shocked in years. The bell kept ringing, and she had to cover both her ears and head. She was turning hysterical, but Harriet managed to shake her out of it. "Are you alright Ali, do we need to go to the hospital?" Harriet asked, ready to give an order to call a doctor or move Ali to a hospital. "No," Ali shook her head, sweat dripping down her forehead, "I was just shocked, that's all." "What kind of shock effect would leave you in that state?" Harriet asked. "It began after I saw my mother's condition after the fire. Then, when she died and when my brother got admitted for brain tumor," Ali explained plainly before looking at her brother. She wasn't comfortable with him there and listening to her conversation, but she couldn't have him leave either. Harriet's eyes flashed when Ali wasn't looking, then she said," I wasn't aware. I will arrange a specialist doct
Ali was lucky enough to have fallen to her side. Her face turned redder than ripened tomatoes. The humiliation made her raise her eyes and glare at Gerald. "Ali! Are you hurt?" Emily asked, coming to her side and helping her up. She sent a subtle glare at Gerald and the latter shifted his cold stare at her. "I'm fine," Ali breathed, shifting her gaze to look at her brother and Aunt. Vivian had moved to come to her side but stopped when Harriet came to check on her. "Alice, are you hurt anywhere?," Harriet asked with concern. Ali nodded, and both women turned their angry gaze to Gerald. "I didn't push her, she didn't look where she was walking," Gerald defended, wearing a wooden expression. He didn't seem to realize what he had done wrong and his indifference made Harriet burst like fireworks. "You didn't push her, but you didn't catch her when she fell. That's just the same as you pushing her. Alice is your wife now and if you don't want to end up being like your father, you
Gerald stared at Madeline with a cold, calculating smile. The room fell into an eerie silence, as Madeline suddenly turned quiet from shock after seeing the child. Her fear was etched across her face. She could not believe that Gerald had caught a hold of her family. She had painstakingly hidden them away, so how did he find them? She was sure they were safe, and no one would link them to her.Alan, the man who had been roughly dragged into the other room, looked startled and disoriented. His eyes darted around the room, glaring angrily at the men who pinned him to the chair and tied him up. He had been captured when he was returning from his meeting with a client in Mongolia. Madeline's son continued sobbing in the other room, and it brought tears to Madeleine's eyes that slipped down to her shirt. "Gerald, they did nothing wrong to you, I hurt you, please let them go. My son is just six years old," she struggled with the chair helplessly. Gerald pouted his lips and let the silen
Music recommendation: In The End by Linkin Park."Leave it be for now, let me deal with this one first. Have the child and lover moved to the other room. It's been so long I last saw her," Gerald said, and resumed walking. His expression turned frostier even as he walked languidly through the corridor and halted before a steel door. The door was pushed back by William, and as he walked in, his eyes observed the condition of the room sharply, even under the scarce lighting. He was quick to pick out a flying insect in a corner of the room. It was a cockroach."I didn't remember giving you permission to have companions," Gerald said, looking in a particular direction. The light was turned on abruptly, and it shone directly on the face of the girl who sat directly opposite it and in the middle of the room.Her eyes were forced to close because of the light that fell directly on her face. "You didn't come to visit, I was lonely, and they came to keep me company," the girl said. Her voi
Harriet raised a brow, looking at Ali quizzically. "Why are you against it? Is there something wrong with your body? A scar?" Ali shook her head and nodded at the same time. She stared, confused and frustrated at the same time. Harriet tilted her head, her eyes narrowed. "Did Gerald hurt you?" She asked, the air around her turning chilly. Ali's mouth opened and shut as she struggled with herself about whether to tell Harriet about it or not. But seeing as the woman's expression was turning uglier by the second, she decided to tell her. If Harriet could punish Gerald for hurting her, then why would she hold back? She lowered the neck of her collared shirt and showed Harriet the finger marks on her neck. She side-glanced at Harriet and noticed the way the older woman was trying so hard to control her anger. "How dare he lay a finger on you?" She asked through gritted teeth. Ali's face crinkled with a cheerless smile as she said, "It was a misunderstanding. He thought I was tryi
Again? Ali thought, and a frown settled on her face. Was he dumped by his first love? Did she cheat on him with someone else? So a woman was the reason for his refusal to get married and also why he kept treating her like an enemy. She observed Harriet as the older woman's mood turned gloomy. Then Harriet started her story. _______________Gerald had finished his heirship training and had returned to the country. However, he didn't return alone. He brought with him his best friend, Caleb, and a girl, Madeline. Caleb was the illegitimate son of a business mogul in Barcelona. He and Gerald had met at school. Initially, Gerald didn't like Caleb when they met because Caleb was clingy and a troublemaker. He was always cold to him, but Caleb wasn't fazed and kept looking for him, and eventually he won Gerald over. A few years later, when Gerald was attacked by thugs in Hong Kong when he went for a business meeting, he met Madeline. She saved him and hid him in her shabby apartment.
Hello guys, Please note that this note is to inform you that this chapter is intertwined with two scenes. One is where Harriet is giving us a history of Gerald, and the other is what Gerald is doing. Don't get confused. I am going to demarcate them with a line. You'll also know the reason why Gerald hated marriage and really hated Ali, and why he was so cruel and heartless.__________ Gerald walked past the man, his steps turning hasty as he reached the door of the room in no time. "When did he awaken?" Gerald asked, glaring at the doctor."Yesterday, but he was fine until an hour ago," the doctor frantically explained, his gaze darting to and fro between Gerald and the door. The way his body trembled made Gerald glare harder at him. The screams continued, and so did the thudding on the wall. "Where is Nurse Blair?" Gerald asked, taking off his wrist watch, then his jacket. "T—that," the doctor hesitated, his shifty eyes stared at everywhere but Gerald. Gerald's face became unsig
Hello guys, Please note that this note is to inform you that this chapter is intertwined with three scenes. One is where Harriet is giving us a history of Gerald; the other is a flash back on Gerald's childhood; and the last is what Gerald is up to. Don't get confused. I am going to seperate it with a line. You'll also know the reason why Gerald hated marriage and really hated Ali, and why he was so cruel and heartless.___________ Ali walked around Gerald's room. His room was sophisticated but the main theme was black, and only a few things in the room was white. He surely was just black and white and was in serious need of color in the room and in his life. Her clothes were already arranged in the closet by the maids. She went for a little tour and couldn't help marveling at the splendor and his taste. A little more color would make it heaven on earth. She sighed and took a seat on the bed. Her eyes stared at the bed for a while before she read the text that Mary sent her.
Bridget alighted in front of a red-painted two-storey building and threw her car keys at the gateman. She walked briskly towards the entrance, and the bulky men standing guard opened the door for her. A woman was standing behind the door, and as soon as she walked in, the woman passed her a glove and a nose mask. "Don Moses and Don Romero are checking the new drugs that arrived yesterday with the clients. Do you want to join him?" The woman asked. "No, I want to see my son first," Bridget replied. "Martin is not allowed to see anyone..." "Do I look like I care about Dad's orders? I said I want to see my son," Bridget snapped at the girl before turning and pushing the next door beside her and walking through it. She was fuming, and her heels made a sharp sound against the marble tiles. She took a few turns along the corridor and walked down a flight of stairs, which eventually led her to an iron gate. She sighed and banged on the gate. The ruffling of keys was heard befo
"Stop talking nonsense Joe. You are still too young for such thoughts," Vivian sighed. "And you and Ali are way too old to notice it," Joe retorted, "I can feel it, he likes Ali, but she is too dense to not notice and ended up with that mean man that makes her cry," he balled his hands. Vivian stared at him surprised. Joe had pretended not to know anything, but he understood everything perfectly well. It seemed they had to stop having such conversations in front of him. "Listen here boy, don't talk about this with anyone, it's a secret," Vivian warned. Joe huffed and puffed his cheek, "Of course I won't tell. I feel ashamed just thinking that that man is my brother-in-law. People would surely laugh at us," he turned to his side and laid down. Vivian stood there stunned and speechless. She stared at his head. Did the surgery do something to his mental state? Or was it his innate nature that he had hidden? Joe had never talked like that. She didn't know that it was his condition
Gerald couldn't fathom how a girl in this time and age could be clueless about what happened around and with her. Was she that dumb? He gritted his teeth as he enunciated every word, "Because it is rare to see grandmother force her will on me. She just woke up one morning and started plotting so much. Did you think she allowed you to marry into our family because you saved her? How naive," he sneered. Ali blinked; she was lost for words and could only look at Gerald with her dull black eyes. He said, "Grandma isn't someone who takes a no when she wants something. She manipulated you so you could marry me with another motive other than bearing grandchildren." He didn't hide anything about his grandmother. He wanted Ali to know the kind of person she was, not to spoil Harriet's image in her eyes but to make sure they both didn't conspire against him. Having a wife who blindly follows the orders of someone else, especially someone like his grandmother, was risky. He wanted Ali