Audrey's Pov I stood up to leave and he chuckled as I picked up my purse, “I have no intention of enduring this torture, lunch break is over I have work to do” I uttered blankly. “We are the bosses, that rule doesn't apply to us we can go back anytime” He probed but I had already made up my mind to leave, I would rather leave than hear him speak to me that way. I left the restaurant and went back to work leaving him to his devices, his driver can always go pick him up whenever he is ready to go. I finished all my work for the day and decided to go see my father, I didn't bother you to tell Xander I only told him I would be coming home late today, I drove straight to my father's house after leaving the parking lot. I was told that my father had a visitor when I got there, I wasn't surprised to see my father's attorney with some documents on his hand. “Hello Dad,” I smiled at him and his face brightened, “Audrey my dear, you came at the right time I was just writing my wi
Audrey's Pov By the time I got back to the living room my stepmother and Amelia were there with my father, Amelia frowned when she saw me coming out of the kitchen. I didn't want to cause any drama in front of my father so I bowed slightly and walked towards the exit, “You should visit us soon, come with your husband” Eric said then he started coughing again, our lawyer must have left because I didn't meet him here.“I will do just that” I replied walking out the door, however, my stupid sister followed me just like I presumed she would. “He is tired of you so soon? I wonder why you are always here when you are supposed to be with your dear husband, perhaps he doesn't love you and poor Audrey thought she got a second chance to love, unfortunately, she went to seek it where there is none” She mocked and I halted in my tracks. She is right, I took that bargain without thinking and I might be in for a loveless marriage of convenience for the rest of my life, was it really
Audrey's Pov My heart raced as he placed a little box in my hand as soon as I pulled away from our embrace, I smiled and opened the box a shiny diamond 'A' shaped necklace stared back at me. I gasped as it catches the light and it glittered as I turned it but I can't accept this gift, I can't accept this. I lied when I said I deserved him because we are in this marriage for a selfish reason. “Thank you, I don't understand why you did this anyway” I mumbled trying to sound ungrateful, he ignored my comment and pulled me towards the dining area then I spotted a beautiful cake on the dining table. “Wow, you really planned this whole thing all by yourself?” I asked bewildered, “No I had help from our housekeepers and the decoration team, I would have loved to throw a party but I didn't know if you would like that” He replied and I smiled at the purple and silver color balloons, I would be a fool if I say this doesn't make me feel special. “Thank you so much” I really appre
Audrey's Pov Did he just ask me to kiss him? I cleared my throat pretending to be thinking about it but I already made up my mind. “I thought we agreed on asking for something less outrageous,” I remarked and he chuckled. “I guess that is a no then, I'm not surprised that you refused” He chuckled cutting more meat and transferring the pieces into my plate, “I'm sorry, you can ask for something else, anything that doesn't involve intimacy” I asserted. He didn't say anything or even try to protest so I let it go, “Are you going to ask me questions now?” I asked as soon as I was done with my food, he stayed silent cutting the cake and placing a piece on another plate beside me, “Eat first, we will talk after you are done” He mumbled and I nodded. I gave up on eating after three big pieces of cake and the amount of meat I ate was enough, I couldn't try the other dishes so I called for the staff to clear the table and gave the rest. They thanked me and I was worried
Audrey's Pov He showered kisses on my neck and then inhaled the scent of my shampoo, “You should always let your hair down, you look gorgeous with your hair down” He complimented and I pushed him off unwrapping his hands from my waist I stood up. “Thank you for your concern, if you don't mind I would like to be left alone now” I replied ditching my plan to make him squirm, I shouldn't complicate things more than this. He stood up and headed for the door, “I ordered your dress and I'm done with sending invites, before you start getting worried about your father I told my guards to bring him here specially”I smiled at those words, I don't know how to thank him for always being so thoughtful. I ate my breakfast as soon as he left and a few minutes later the maids came to take the tray away, looking at how far I have come I feel proud of the choices I made and Xander has proven to be a good partner. I was still lost in my thoughts when someone knocked on my door, I told
Audrey's Pov I disengaged my arm from Xander's and walked towards the door, just like I predicted Amelia was there arguing with our guards and my father looked exhausted in their midst. “What is going on here?” I asked and they diverted their attention towards me, Amelia's jaw dropped while her mother scowled. “Audrey my dear, you look lovely” My father complimented with a smile on his wrinkled face, I gestured for them to let him pass and was a bit annoyed with them for denying my father access to my own party. “Care to explain why my father was outside?” I glare at the head of the security, “He was allowed in but those two with him didn't have an invite, they refused to let him in saying they were coming with him” He explained. I guess my invite got lost in the mail or my assistant didn't care to send it to them, she dislikes Amelia and I understand she didn't want her at my party. “Let them in, they are already creating a scene” I look back at our audience, Xande
Audrey’s POVMy anger rose to high levels as I clenched my fists in rage.Who did he think he was? Appearing at my party and attempting to ruin everything? Was he a joke?I looked at Xander who had a calm demeanor about him.“Aren’t you going to do something?” I asked in fear of that man running tonight but he shook his head.“He’s drunk. Let him let it out.”I growled, holding my rage within but it was barely holding together.I could tell that if I didn’t do anything, I could explode and I didn’t want that to happen.I grabbed a drink and downed it as Zachary gave a speech but I didn’t care.I wasn’t here for the stupid speech.“I’m going upstairs,” I said as I looked at Xander, expecting him to come with me.He nodded and before he could follow me, Zachary broke a bottle of wine which had Xander excusing himself and going to check the damage caused.I ended up walking upstairs and headed for the balcony at the end of the hall.While standing there, I felt tears rush to my eyes but
Audrey’s POVI could see the way she flinched and her expression remained hard, but she had a flicker of something else on her face.She had a very dark expression as she looked at me with anger.“You know something,” she smiled as I tried to stay awake while she talked. “You may think you’re free but you are not. If you don’t do as I say, I swear to the Lord who made me I will make sure Xander knows everything.”But now she had lost me.Everything? About what?She was confused or what?Did she even know what she was saying?I blinked, confused. “Everything? What are you talking about?”She took a drink and finished everything as she gently dropped her cup to the ground and stretched her body.She was enjoying this.She wanted my attention and now she got it.Now I wanted to know what she wanted to tell my husband that would make him see me in another light.She leaned in, her voice low and dangerous. “Oh, you know. The little things. The skeletons in your closet. How you manipulated
Stephanie’s pov“You’re mad,” I hissed, trying to maintain my composure even as fear coiled around my throat.“Mad?” His laughter was sharp and cruel. “You haven’t even begun to see mad.” He loosened his grip slightly, but his presence was still oppressive. “Do you think I didn’t hear every word you said to Barve back there? You two plotting your next move, thinking you’re so untouchable. Well, guess what? I want in. Whatever it is you’re planning—Eric, the company, the inheritance—I want a piece of it.”I froze, my mind racing as I tried to process his words. He knows.“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied, my voice steady despite the tremor in my heart.“Oh, don’t play coy with me.” His grin widened, and he took a step back, crossing his arms. “Shall I spell it out for you? How about I start with telling Eric whose child Amelia really is?”My breath caught in my throat, and for a moment, the room seemed to tilt. He couldn’t possibly know. Could he?The commissioner’s eyes
Stephanie’s povThe drive to the police station with the commissioner was tense. He sat beside me, fiddling with his phone and stealing nervous glances in my direction. I knew he didn’t trust me, and frankly, the feeling was mutual. But for now, our goals aligned, and that was all that mattered.When we arrived, the station was bustling with officers shuffling papers and interrogating suspects. The chaos only fueled my annoyance. The commissioner led me through a narrow hallway toward the holding cells, and my heels clicked sharply against the linoleum floor, each step echoing my growing irritation.Finally, we arrived at the cell where Dr. Barve was being held. To my surprise, he wasn’t in the dingy cell I had imagined. Instead, he lay on a cot in what seemed to be an improvised medical room, pale and disheveled. The faint smell of antiseptic hung in the air.The commissioner gestured toward the door. “I’ll leave you two to talk. But don’t take too long.”I nodded curtly. “You’ll be
Stephanie’s povThe moment the commissioner’s words hit me, it felt like the ground had shifted beneath me. My grip on the phone tightened, my knuckles turning white. His voice was calm, almost amused, as if he knew he had me cornered.“What did you just say?” I asked, my voice trembling with both rage and fear.“I said,” he repeated with deliberate slowness, “the only way you’ll get your precious doctor out of prison is if you come to my bedroom tonight. Otherwise, I’ll make sure both of you rot behind bars. And let me remind you, Stephanie, your dear doctor Barve has already sung like a canary.”A cold shiver ran down my spine. My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to process his words. He knew. He knew everything. My plans, my schemes—he had it all. And now, he wanted to use that against me.“You’re bluffing,” I hissed, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “You don’t have anything on me.”“Oh, but I do,” he said, chuckling darkly. “Dr. Barve was very… forthcoming under
Stephanie’s povI stormed out of the house, the heels of my shoes clicking loudly against the tiled floor as I made my way to the garden. My anger boiled beneath the surface, threatening to spill over. As I stepped outside, I saw them—my so-called guards, lounging around as if their job was to host a tea party.“You useless idiots!” I barked, my voice cutting through the tranquil air. They scrambled to their feet, startled by my sudden appearance. “Why haven’t you done anything about Audrey and her stupid guards? You’re just standing here like statues!”One of them, the taller of the group, dared to speak up. “Ma’am, Miss Audrey had us demoted. We’re no longer allowed near Sir Eric. We’ve been reassigned to… garden duty.”I narrowed my eyes, fury rising like a tide. “And you just accepted that? You let her strip you of your duties without so much as a fight?”He shifted uncomfortably, glancing at the others for support, but they all avoided my gaze. Pathetic. “Ma’am,” he stammered, “h
Xander's povAudrey’s lips quirked into a partial smile. “I wish I could’ve seen that. Stephanie wigging out? That doesn’t happen often.”“It really was something,” I told her, stretching back in my chair and lacing my fingers behind my head. “She tried to threaten me, as a matter of fact. Told me I was a loser wasting my time. So I just smiled and reminded her that we all have secrets—the would-be doctor she paid off. She didn’t know how to deal with it.”Audrey’s smile faded. She was suddenly serious. “Do you think she’ll give up now? Or do you think she’ll escalate?”I thought about that for a second.“I don’t know,” I said finally. “Stephanie doesn’t seem like the kind of person who stops doing something just because it’s not working anymore.”“Yeah, but we’ve pretty much shut down every avenue she’s tried so far. And barve is gone, basically . . .”“She’ll try something else,” I interrupted, then continued with my original thought. “But it really seems like she’s running out of o
Stephanie’s povI decided to visit Barve and know if there was any way in saving him.The police station was cold and smelled like sweat and sterilizer. I hated places like this; the air seemed to laugh at my love of high fashion and higher society by holding onto me as if it could keep me grounded in reality. But necessary or not, if I wanted to take back control of my life, I had to do this.I was led to the holding room, my heels echoing briskly on the hard tile floor as I navigated behind the lead officer. Doctor Barve was hunched on the steel bench, beyond his usual arrogance and distanced demeanor with a fusion of angst seen only in a man desperate for an escape. He glanced up from under his brows when he heard me drawing nearer, his face betraying an expression indicative of shock mingled with relief.“Stephanie,” he muttered under his breath as if no time were left to lose. “You’re here—”I folded my arms over my chest and tilted my head, studying him with mild disgust. “Wha
Stephanie’s pov"I... I don't think so," he said finally, and his tone gave me pause.I sighed loudly. I was already regretting hiring these incompetents. “Fine. I’ll handle it. Don’t call me unless someone is actually fucking dying.” I ended the call and dialed Dr. Barve’s number immediately, annoyed that I was even having to make this personal phone call, but my annoyance went deeper when his phone rang and rang and then clicked over to voicemail. I tried again with the same result, feeling myself become more irritated as my fingers drummed impatiently against the arm of the chair.Where in fact was he?Frustrated, I scrolled through my contacts and hit the number for his assistant. No answer. Great. What was wrong with everyone today? My frustration turned to unease as I realized that wasn’t like Barve at all. He was supposed to be reliable – especially now.With a sigh, I hit the number for my spy."Find Barve," I said. "Now."There was a moment's silence on the other end of the
Xander’s pov“It’s…going well,” I said, trying to keep it neutral. No one needed to know mine and Audrey’s business but ours.Elena squinted at me like she didn’t buy it, but she dropped it. “Come in, come in. Sit down. You have so much catching up to do.”We made our way into the cozy living room, and she handed me a mug of coffee before collapsing onto the couch across from me. We caught up on the last few years of our lives in laughter and stories that, for a moment, I was sure nothing had changed. It felt so good to let go and be weightless again.But that wasn’t why I was here.“Elena,” I started, putting my mug down on the table. “I’m here because I need your help. It’s about Audrey’s father.”Her expression changed instantly, the playful look gone for the first time in as long as I could remember and replaced with a seriousness that seemed out of place. “What happened?” she demanded, leaning toward me.I told her everything—the doctor, the poison, how Eric had been getting wors
Audrey’s pov“Let me check,” the operator said. A couple minutes passed before she came back with the same answer. “I’ve searched our national and international databases, and this doctor isn’t licensed anywhere.”“Alright. Thank you.”I hung up, my heart pounding.This was the proof I was waiting for. I picked up my phone and dialed my good friend Detective Marcus Hill. I had known this man since college, and there wasn’t a person alive that I trust more than him in the law.“Marcus,” I said when he answered, “I need your help.”“What’s wrong, Audrey?” he asked in a worried tone.I told him everything—the doctor's sketchiness, the absent files on his license, and my theory about him possibly hurting Dad under Stephanie's orders. Marcus didn't interrupt once, but when I finally finished speaking, he sounded pissed.“This is serious, Audrey. If this guy is practicing medicine without a license and endangering lives, he needs to be stopped immediately.”“Exactly,” I said. “Can you help