JENNIFER I was running on little to no sleep, trying to cover up the mess that surrounded us. Every second felt like a battle, and I was the only one fighting. I had to work tirelessly to convince the major shareholders and investors that everything was under control, but how could they believe me when the press kept dropping different stories and wild speculations?And to make matters worse, my good-for-nothing son had refused to get off that damn hospital bed and face the situation like a man. He just lay there, acting like he had all the time in the world while everything fell apart around us. Useless. Spineless. A disgrace. Did he think hiding away would solve anything? While I was out here doing damage control, he was tucked away in bed, letting the world tear us apart.The more I thought about it, the more my blood boiled. I had worked and schemed tirelessly to hand everything to him, only for him to sit there like some helpless child. If he thought I would let his weakness dra
NAYA“Nick, it is been a while,” I said surprised to see him standing in the living room when I got down“Ma’am,” he said wearing a smile“Where have you been?” I asked“I had some work overseas,” he said“Oh wow, welcome back I guess” I laughed“Leon told me the news,” he said “What news?” I asked not sure why he was talking about“You helped him get on his feet again just as you promised,” he said I had forgotten that he hadn't been around when that happened “Oh that,” I said brushing it off“You are amazing, thank you so much” he thanked me“You don't have to thank me” I tried to laugh it offIt was beautiful to see how genuinely happy he was about Leon’s recovery. He really cared for him.“Why are you smiling like that at her?” I heard Leon’s voice say behind me“The cane suits you,” Nick said smiling happily“That wasn't the question” Leon retorted“Can you just say hello like a normal person” I joked “I would rip out that mouth if I saw that smile,” he said ignoring me“I fe
I understood where Leon was coming from but he put me off when he said no like I was asking for his permission to leave the house. He had no right to control my movement, I could go anywhere I wanted to if I wanted to.“I would be back,” I said walking down the stairs to leave. Both he and Nick were sitting where I had left them when I went to my room to get dressed, I avoided eye contact with him and just kept walking. I could feel his burning gaze at the back of my neck but that didn't stop me.“I would come with you then,” he said making me halt in my steps“What?” I swiveled my gaze to meet his“If you are going to go fine but I'm coming with you,” he said sounding serious as hell“You don't have to I am fine,” I saidIf he came along with me Jennifer wouldn't say what she wanted to say to me that was why I was against it.“It is not about you being fine, you just can't go there alone,” he said“Let me go with her instead,” Nick said “Why are both of you treating me like a child”
I wasn’t quite surprised that she knew of her son’s ordeal she probably even backed him up every step of the way but I still didn’t understand why. What exactly did they want from Leon? Why were they threatened by him? “What do you want from us?” I asked breaking the silence“What is it that you want from Leon? he hasn’t done anything to either of you but for whatever reason you feel threatened by him,” I said not mincing my words“Do you know my problem with you?” I said adjusting on the couch“You talk too much and you always insert yourself in things that don’t concern you” she scoffed“This is family matter so stay out of it” she hissed“He is my husband so he is my family,” I said the word family sounded foreign as it came out of my mouth, I just wanted to make myself clear.She let off a long bitter laugh that didn't reach her eyes it was torturing to listen to it.“All of a sudden he is your husband?” she asked“I should have been able to tell that you would become a fucking
NAYAAll I always wished for was to be loved and cared for, it was my birthday once again but that wish never seems to be coming to pass. As I rubbed the surface of a tabletop lazily with my eyes fixated on a girl blowing out a candle and smiling from ear to ear. A pang of jealousy washed through me as I watched her, it was my birthday too but there I was wiping spilled drinks off a table.My life was more pathetic than it sounded most times I just wanted everything to end so I could feel free but I never got the courage to make the move, you could call me a coward.My eyes met with the girl sitting across the birthday girl making my cheek turn red in embarrassment she probably thought I was weird for staring like that, I quickly took my eyes away and focused on cleaning the invisible stain on the table“How long would it take you to clean that table they are customers waiting!” I heard my manager snap at meI lowered my head in shame and walked over to the counter to continue giving
Everyone including Kayla was present at the dining table, as I walked in slowly all I could hear was the clattering of cutlery on the glass dishes. Of course, they started dinner without me “Hello” I muttered under my breath waiting for the outlash that was coming “You are late” Mom snapped as I was about to take my sit making me freeze halfway “I’m sorry I-” “That is all you know how to do, you are always fucking sorry” she spat in my face before I could complete my sentence My blood boiled in anger as I watched Kayla giggle as I was been scolded at “That’s enough,” Dad said, not raising his head off his plate. I quietly sat down and dinner just carried on, I couldn’t bring myself to take a bite of the food in front of me. My heart was thumping so loud anxiously waiting to hear the reason I was summoned. “So,” Dad said dabbing the corner of his mouth, I immediately sat upright as his cold gaze landed on me, my throat immediately drying up as I waited to hear what he had to
I sat still at the dinner table. Mom kept on fixing my hair and dress repeatedly, I wanted to bolt out of that room with the speed of light but I felt trapped like I couldn't move a muscle. Everything was happening too fast, the more I thought about the more it didn't make sense to me.How did I get here? I was given no choice. Was this how I would throw my life away?They made it clear to me that if I didn't get married as it was said, Nyla wouldn't get the money she needed for her major surgery. The money they promised to pay now all of a sudden, it was an exchange, they knew I wouldn't have a choice but to agree to it and they were right. I didn't have a choice.I didn't have a say in anything that was going on, I was about to be shipped off to a man I knew nothing about. If we were left at the orphanage maybe just maybe my life would have been slightly better than this, maybe I would be happy. I couldn't answer that but one thing was sure whatever would have been the outcome of
The night was long and I couldn't seem to catch any sleep, I kept tossing and turning to no avail. I spent half of the night trying to find out who might be the person I was to get married to, with my research I found out that the man who came was the acting CEO of Valois Group, and the woman that was with him was his mother just as I thought.If he wasn’t the one I was to marry, who was it then? Part of me wanted to go ask Kayla. She knew exactly who the person was but she didn’t want to let me in on it.I decided to get out of the house, it was suffocating. I needed air, and being in that house made me feel trapped, I tiptoed down the stairs to sneak out of the house without being seen by anyone just to avoid unnecessary questions.Or should I run away? A question popped into my head as I went down but the issue with that was that I still needed them no matter how I hated it, it was the wicked truth. Nyla needed to get that surgery “And where would you be heading to by this time?”
I wasn’t quite surprised that she knew of her son’s ordeal she probably even backed him up every step of the way but I still didn’t understand why. What exactly did they want from Leon? Why were they threatened by him? “What do you want from us?” I asked breaking the silence“What is it that you want from Leon? he hasn’t done anything to either of you but for whatever reason you feel threatened by him,” I said not mincing my words“Do you know my problem with you?” I said adjusting on the couch“You talk too much and you always insert yourself in things that don’t concern you” she scoffed“This is family matter so stay out of it” she hissed“He is my husband so he is my family,” I said the word family sounded foreign as it came out of my mouth, I just wanted to make myself clear.She let off a long bitter laugh that didn't reach her eyes it was torturing to listen to it.“All of a sudden he is your husband?” she asked“I should have been able to tell that you would become a fucking
I understood where Leon was coming from but he put me off when he said no like I was asking for his permission to leave the house. He had no right to control my movement, I could go anywhere I wanted to if I wanted to.“I would be back,” I said walking down the stairs to leave. Both he and Nick were sitting where I had left them when I went to my room to get dressed, I avoided eye contact with him and just kept walking. I could feel his burning gaze at the back of my neck but that didn't stop me.“I would come with you then,” he said making me halt in my steps“What?” I swiveled my gaze to meet his“If you are going to go fine but I'm coming with you,” he said sounding serious as hell“You don't have to I am fine,” I saidIf he came along with me Jennifer wouldn't say what she wanted to say to me that was why I was against it.“It is not about you being fine, you just can't go there alone,” he said“Let me go with her instead,” Nick said “Why are both of you treating me like a child”
NAYA“Nick, it is been a while,” I said surprised to see him standing in the living room when I got down“Ma’am,” he said wearing a smile“Where have you been?” I asked“I had some work overseas,” he said“Oh wow, welcome back I guess” I laughed“Leon told me the news,” he said “What news?” I asked not sure why he was talking about“You helped him get on his feet again just as you promised,” he said I had forgotten that he hadn't been around when that happened “Oh that,” I said brushing it off“You are amazing, thank you so much” he thanked me“You don't have to thank me” I tried to laugh it offIt was beautiful to see how genuinely happy he was about Leon’s recovery. He really cared for him.“Why are you smiling like that at her?” I heard Leon’s voice say behind me“The cane suits you,” Nick said smiling happily“That wasn't the question” Leon retorted“Can you just say hello like a normal person” I joked “I would rip out that mouth if I saw that smile,” he said ignoring me“I fe
JENNIFER I was running on little to no sleep, trying to cover up the mess that surrounded us. Every second felt like a battle, and I was the only one fighting. I had to work tirelessly to convince the major shareholders and investors that everything was under control, but how could they believe me when the press kept dropping different stories and wild speculations?And to make matters worse, my good-for-nothing son had refused to get off that damn hospital bed and face the situation like a man. He just lay there, acting like he had all the time in the world while everything fell apart around us. Useless. Spineless. A disgrace. Did he think hiding away would solve anything? While I was out here doing damage control, he was tucked away in bed, letting the world tear us apart.The more I thought about it, the more my blood boiled. I had worked and schemed tirelessly to hand everything to him, only for him to sit there like some helpless child. If he thought I would let his weakness dra
KAYLAI stared at my phone, my hands trembling as I opened the email. My heart pounded so loudly that I could barely hear anything else.“Dear Miss Genrey. Due to the recent allegations against you and the evidence presented, the school has decided to place you on immediate suspension pending further investigation. You are not allowed on school premises until further notice”The words blurred as my vision swam with tears. Suspension? Investigation? This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. My whole body felt cold, my fingers numb as I clutched the phone tighter.“No…” I whispered, shaking my head.“What is it, honey?” Mom asked, her voice filled with concern.I turned the phone to show her, and the moment her eyes scanned the screen, her face twisted with fury.“What the hell is this?” she snapped.“I… I don’t know,” I stammered. “They’re suspending me, Mom. I’m going to lose everything!” I said “No, no, no, this won’t happen. I’ll call the school. I’ll threaten them w
NAYAIt was just as Leon said. No, it was even worse than I had imagined. The internet had exploded, and there was no stopping it now. Everywhere I looked, people were talking about it, tearing her apart like hungry wolves. And they weren’t taking it lightly.Her so-called fans, the same ones who used to worship her, had turned against her without hesitation. They joined the bandwagon, dragging her by her extensions, calling her every name in the book. The hate was relentless, the memes, edited videos, old screenshots nothing was off-limits. It was like a wildfire, spreading fast, burning everything in its path.But that wasn’t even the worst part. Protesters had gathered outside her school, chanting, holding up signs, demanding she be expelled immediately. It was loud, messy, and completely out of control. News outlets had picked up the story, making it even bigger.And me? I sat back, watching the chaos unfold with a satisfied smile. I loved every bit of it."Leon!" | barged into hi
KAYLA“Mom, Mom I have good news!” I shouted as I ran into the house“What is it honey, why are you so happy?” My mom asked she was sitting in the living room going through her phone“You wouldn’t believe what happened” I started to say squealing happily I was beyond happy, I was finally going to get what I had been actively working for. All I wanted was for Ryan to be mine, I thought it was going to happen when we had sex at the charity ball but he dragged me out of his office like some nuisance. I saw an opportunity when I found out that he got into an accident, I was going to be by his side and make him fall in love with me but he treated me like crap almost as if he was irritated by my presence. Now it was happening for real all I needed was to bring Naya off her high horse and I would have him. He said it himself I just had to make it happen.“Are you going to say it already the suspense is killing me” my mom said“Well” I dragged my words“Ryan would finally be mine soon,” I s
NAYA It has been a big feat for me, a feat big enough to forget what I had been through. I was over the moon everything felt perfect, the air was lighter, I was lighter, Leon felt free I could feel that from him. He smiled a lot more, almost as if a big burden had been lifted off his shoulders, he didn’t need to use his wheelchair anymore he opted for a cane, I suggested crutches but he refused claiming it would only slow him down. He went on long walks every day ignoring my numerous advice. He wasn’t supposed to put much pressure on his legs and let them heal but he refused. He was always walking around like a child who just learnt how to walk but it was a beautiful sight to uphold regardless. I heard the sound of his cane clacking on the marble floor so I rushed out to the living room “You promised not to go on a walk today,” I said and he froze halfway like he had been caught “Hi you are up early,” he said smiling from ear to ear “Answer the question,” I said “You d
RYANIt was humiliating to think about, it was shameful to admit that I might have underestimated Leon. I tried not to think about it that way and just move on which was extremely difficult and my mother hasn’t been helpful in any sense. She would always remind me how I failed and how I lost to Leon and that pissed me off. I shouldn’t have put my guard down but I did and that almost cost me my life. Seeing my life flash before my eyes was scary as fuck. Every pain I felt in my body reminded me of that gruesome accident and he still came to my face to let me know he was the one behind it. That was extremely low for him, all because of that orphan bitch, I didn’t even do anything to him directly and he almost killed me.What would happen if I messed with him?I was scared but tried to shake off that feeling but it was super hard, I just couldn’t. My brain kept replaying the accident over and over in my head, the loud sound of the crash filled my ears every time.“You should eat,” someo