Ashton drops the call and smirks.Tiara has always been a stupid part of the bunch. She wears all her feelings on her sleeves, tiring people around her and pressuring the ones she claims to love on their own lives.Ashton remembers how much frustration he had gone through in her hands when they were supposedly in a relationship that was supposed to result in a marriage.A life time union.He shakes his head off of the bad memories and comes back to the present.He lays his phone on the kitchen counter and gets back to chopping vegetables.He pours the onions into the hot pan coated with a thin layer of oil and sautes the onions, pouring them out when they are golden brown and crispy, then he pours the carrots, chives, green onions, peas and other veggies into the pan, whisking them around with every turn of the pan.He hears the front door open and smiles. "Welcome back." He calls out, not dropping the pan.Formerly in a pretty sour mood, Ivy smiles, a cloud of relief coming of her and
"Richard has my two billion dollars." Out of nowhere, Ivy blurts out, still on the couch with Ashton."What? How? What do you mean?"Ivy sits up, turning to look Ashton in the eyes. "You know I own Trust Financials, and whatever came in actually belonged to me and Richard knew it because he kept a major audit away from me. That was why he had had Wren kidnapped."Ashton shakes his head to clear the sudden fog. "This is a lot of bombs for a day. Richard had Wren kidnapped for two billion dollars?""Not directly, but yes. The thing was that Wang Financial Company, directed by Wren's father, Mr Wang was Richard's major competitor and to throw him off of his game, he had his daughter, Wren kidnapped for a whole month, he might have not released her infact if I had not gotten kidnapped.""So, right now, what you're telling me is that Richard, while trying to secure a two billion dollar deal cheated and used dirty tricks to get the deal, he got the deal and didn't say a word about the two b
Tied and bent down low in a corner of the small and stuffy apartment, Tiara bites her fingernails, wondering what she has gotten herself into, her nails eaten to the quick and her cheek red and puffy.A very famous influencer with almost twenty five million followers is crouching, afraid, in a corner of a bully's house.Tiara sighs over and over again, thinking over and over that she really is stuck between the devil and deep blue Sea and she can't swim, literally or physically. "What does locking me in here do for you? Absolutely nothing. Just open the door and let me go. I'll go far away where he won't find me, and if he doesn't find me than obviously you're safe."Arielle snickers. "You think I'm stupid, eh? All these rich kids always ignoring the fact that living in this harsh world has made us just as harsh.""Don't blame us for your life's situation. Just let me go, that's all I want. You can even keep the phone if you want."Arielle looks at the latest iPhone model in her hands
Few days pass without any incidents and the bond between the couple only grows, that evening when the sky seemed so bright with the yellow and red rays of the setting sun, Ivy emerges from the room, wearing a long black glitter gown.And with every step she takes, the cloth expands, shining the glitter and making her look more beautiful with every movement, no matter how minute.Ashton, already dressed in a suit and tie, smiles as she shows up. "I knew waiting was going to pay off. You look beautiful."Ivy smiles up at him. "Thank you, you're quite dashing as well." She curtesies slightly like in an old British movie.They both laugh and Ashton takes her hand, leading her out into the environment where a limousine is waiting to take them to Wren's dinner party.Ashton helps her into the vehicle and gets in behind her as well.It's an overall smooth ride with the duo gisting and joking in the vehicle.The car comes to a halt. "We're here." The driver's voice climbs through to the back.
"Mr Wang? Why are you looking for him?"Richard smirks. "So I can rub my winning in his face. He's a bad tempered old man so I hate him."Too uninterested and bored to listen to him droning on about showing someone something, she looks back at where Ivy and Ashton seems to be having the time of their life with the Masons and some other dignitaries on the same table.By the table in the corner where Arielle and Richard are sitting, two well dressed ladies take up the space beside them and chat noisily. "Did you hear that Darlene is remarrying her ex-husband?""What? Aren't they too old for that?" The other woman comments."Seriously, that's her son right over there sitting with the Wrights. I'm kind of happy for her though, at least someone is getting her happily ever after."They chuckle. "Talking of the Wrights..."Ever since they first mentioned the Wrights, Arielle's ears have been perked in their direction, listening in on their gossip while still watching Ivy with her hatred in
Richard gets up immediately, tugging at Arielle's elbows. "Come on, we've seen enough. Let's go."Arielle looks taken aback. "What? We've not even eaten. Why do you want to leave so early? Don't you want to go see Mr Wang and wish him well?"With every word, Wren gets even closer to their table and unlike Richard, Arielle is willing to make her acquaintance."Let's go! Dammit." Richard swears seeing her just two tables away. "Find your own way home then." Without another word and amidsts the stares of the people who heard him raise his voice, he grabs his things and exits.Wren notes his leaving and smiles.His audacity to even show up, smiling like a bastard.Just one table left to getting to their table, she diverts right to the direction of Ivy's table.Arielle goes from her fake bright smile to hate and disappointment. She had been hoping to make friends with Wren, so at least, she'll have a rich friend since now she's just roving in the world, sleeping with a pretty useless man.S
Wren cuts across the crowd, greeting people and returning greetings as she makes her way to the front, to the redhead man, eating while smiling politely at what someone on the same table had said.She takes a seat right beside him. "Wanna step out?"Grant drops his fork and leans towards her. "I thought you'd never ask. Come on."Wren gets up, following closely behind her, Grant.As soon as they get outside, she sighs heavily, inhaling the cool warm breeze. "I had no idea some rich people stank so much. I mean, I could not breathe at all while greeting this pot bellied man in the middle of the hall."Grant laughs. "That's not very polite to your guests, you know?"Wren rolls her eyes. "It's impolite to smell bad too, you know?" She retorts.Grant smiles. "You never let me have the last word. I'm so happy you brought me out of there, she was totally boring me with her tales of how she caught some Parisian men and the funny things about how they cook pasta and some of their cultures.""
"Good morning Mum." Ivy greets on the phone while working in the kitchen the day after."Hello darling. You're now newly wed and forgotten us so soon?"Ivy laughs while dropping the gloves in her hands. "Come on, I still called you the day before yesterday, don't guilt trip me early this morning "Veronica laughs. "You've caught me. Actually, I invited the Wrights over for dinner over here and I was wondering if you two could make it as well?""Tonight? Isn't that a little too impromptu?""Actually, it was an afterthought that I thought I could make an actual thought. They agreed even though it was an after thought, will you come as well?""Uhm... You know I'm newly wed, I can't take such decisions alone." Ivy whines, smiling while teasing her mum."So those of us who aren't newly married should do whatever we want? Are you rubbing it in my face or not?"Ivy laughs. "Of course not Mum. I'll get back to you on it though. See ya, I hope.""Bye darling."Ivy hangs up and goes into Ashton
"Calm down, she'll be fine." "How can I be calm when I can hear her screaming her lungs out here!" Ashton half yells at Grant and then composes himself. "Sorry but I can't help feeling like this when her screams seem to be pushing at my heart right now." Grant smiles and puts a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be fine." In a little bit, the agonizing screams stop and there's calm. Ashton springs to his feet the third time in a minute. A nurse comes out. "She delivered safely. It's a baby girl. She's been dressed now. You can..." She hears her name being called again and goes back inside, not finishing her sentence and the look she gave to Ashton makes him three times more scared. Ivy is in the labour room, her contractions had suddenly started while on a road trip so Ashton had drove like his life depended on it. Well, maybe because his wife's life depended on it and so did his. The baby had come two weeks earlier than the date she's supposed to arrive which has got all of them
She hugs him gently on the bed and presses a blue button above his head.In about a minute, the doctor with his levy of nurses open the door and come inside. Ivy leaves them to it and steps out for the moment. As soon as she steps out, everyone crowds around her."What's wrong?""Why are the doctors rushing in like that?"Ivy smiles and motions them to calm down. "He woke up just now. I called the doctors for their routine check. We may be able to see him after his checkup."They all sigh in relief and some even hug in relief.She waits with them outside and after a little while, the doctors and nurses finally come out of the room."He's fine now. You all can go in to see him."Without waiting for any other confirmation of any sort, they all push past them like the really big family they are portraying and go inside the room, Ivy goes in last but Veronica gives her the chair so she won't stay standing, tired because of the life growing in her belly.At first, there's nothing but then
The next three hours is a flurry of activities as their families begins to troop in, Grant joining them at a point."Where is he?" Judith asks as soon as she arrives, talking Ivy's in his."They just wheeled him out of the surgery room. I was told to wait outside while they set him up or something."Judith nods. "Oh thank goodness. How did you find him?"She glances at Grant who shrugs right back at her. "I had help from a police officer. He helped me locate him.""Don't tell me it was that one on the news?" Veronica chips in as she comes by, coming into the discussion."Yes, it was him. He just wanted Trust Financials as a reward but I knew he was going to betray me anyway so I didn't really give him.""But the news didn't say you were there?" Judith quips this time."Well, I left there with Ashton and came to the hospital so I wasn't really there. Just popped in and out." She smiles, turning slightly red as she covers one lie with another.Grant laughs and then quickly masks it with
"Grant! Watch out!" Ivy yells as she grabs the gun laying closest to her.Grant whips around and stares right into the barrel of a Beretta '94 that had been left behind by one of Mike's own men.Mike chuckles painfully. He glances momentarily at Ivy who's fiddling with the gun in her hand and scoffs. "You can't even handle it, how can you use it?" He takes his eyes off of her and focuses it on Grant. "So you killed my little brother because he raised the gun at you first? Why am I not dead yet?"Grant rolls his eyes. "Is this one of those villain long talks? I'm sick of them, come on. Just drop the gun and accept your fate. Is that so hard? You lost the fight. Well, leave then." Grant mutters disinterestedly even though he's looking right at a loaded gun.Mike shakes his head. "A fight isn't over until it's really over. Do you know why I took that man? Her husband? After she passed out, I was determined to make him a widower who lost his baby by not letting her to go the hospital on t
Recovering from the gunshot and sudden appearance of Grant, Ivy runs for Ashton's who's very weak and his pulse is irregular. She looks around and her eyes land on a bunch of keys on one of Mike's men's trousers.He smirks at her when he sees her eyeing the keys. "Come get them darling."There's a second gunshot and a glaring hole appears right in the middle of his forehead and he falls to the ground. Wordlessly, Ivy runs for his body and removes the key. Mike's men all flee seeing that one dead. They all drop their weapons and run away, leaving Hank and Mike.The fact that her brother just murdered someone doesn't count at in the current circumstances. She loses the chains that he's been tied down with and he falls limply down into her arms. She holds him up with her strength, not letting him hit the ground, the same way he had cushioned her head that night Mike had hit her in the stomach.He moves ever so slightly and his hand come to rest on her legs before he closes his eyes, a ve
True to his words, Hank calls her in thirty minutes. Reminding her that she has thirty minutes to get there. "Where am I meet you?" She asks him on the call."Grey Street Garage..."She immediately springs up from her chair, grabs all the documents from the table and hisses, remembering that place. She had been locked in a warehouse on the same compound for two nights. She inhales sharply and she's sure she's ready to go there.Not like she has a choice anyway.Anita sees her breeze right by but she doesn't say anything, guessing it's about the call that brought back her appetite momentarily. She sighs, wishing her boss well. If everyone in the whole wide world has to go through such thing, she'd never wish it on Ivy. She's basically the best boss she's ever had.The best of the best.Which is why she wishes her luck silently as the elevator doors close with Ivy inside.As soon as she's on the ground floor, she dashes for her car, checking the time every few seconds. It takes about t
The first day went by...So does the second.On the third day, it has Ivy in a bind, pacing in her office.Anita comes in with a plate of vegetable salad and mashed potatoes, and steak in another plate along with another takeout cheeseburger and fries, even chicken nuggets as well, hoping she would eat one of the many dishes.She hardly acknowledges her entrance as she sets all of them down on the table and looks at Ivy as she paces around her table, her eyes not leaving her phone.Even Anita has no idea what she's waiting for but it seems to have so much importance to her so she can't interfere but she can eat while waiting... Right?"Ma'am, you won't eat lunch again? This is the third day you're skipping your breakfast and lunch."Nobody knows about the baby except her family, his family and himself.She looks askance at Anita and then looks away again. "I'm fine. I ate a lot last night.""Really? I was the one who threw the dishes away this morning."Anita has been the one bringing
"Ma'am!" The officer yells as he bangs his palms flatly on the table. "This place is no joking area. There are conclusive evidence against you, all of this interrogations are simply formalities! Do you accept the fact that you did kill Tiara or not?"Yale scoffs. "Technically, Richard killed her not me."In the interrogation room directly upstairs, Richard scoffs. "That bitch said so? She's just trying to shift blames. She was the one who absolutely killed Tiara. As Ivy said in the press conference, I only aided and abetted. I am well aware of that and I am not denying it. But I really didn't kill Tiara."Downstairs. "He aided and abetted? That rat. He was the one who dragged her body to the car and suggested we dump her in the ocean!"Upstairs. "That whore. She said I suggested it? She hit Tiara over the head and make her pass out which I totally witnessed. Then we thought she had died. Thinking of it now, she had not even seemed any scared at all, she just said we should throw the b
A murmur ripples through the whole crowd.Time seems to stand still.The point exactly was that nobody was expecting that was what she had come to say. Nobody, not even Anita who plugs in the flash drive and the presentation begins.Almost soulless and robot-like, Ivy turns around to the projector behind her that has a picture of cars. Not very specific car but a lot of them.Then she begins her presentation, using the laser pointer to point at the things that matter. "We all know Tiara died and her body had been fished out of the sea. Well, she didn't drown, she was murdered so that means she had been carried or somehow transported to where her body had been dumped. There are things called dash cams..." She uses the laser to point just as the image changes into a car's close up view.There is a small device with a blinking red light and she points to it. "That's called a dash cam and not every car has it but every two of five does. Which is why, from the place she had been killed, I