He didn't tell me what he was going to do about it if we were to just let the man lurking outside the house just remain there trying to find things out. He wasn't carrying me along with his discussion with Nick even though I was the center of the conversation. I always circled back to his office to eavesdrop on them but I wasn't getting anything “What are you doing here?” Leon asked, making me jump in fear. Where the hell did he appear from“Why did you sneak up on me like that are you trying to fucking kill me?” I asked clutching my chest“I didn't sneak up on you, what are you always looking for here” he groaned like I was some type of disturbance“Were you inside the whole time or did you just get in? But there is no way you walked past me and I am so sure that there was no one in your office when I came in” I said still confused“There is an elevator from my room to all the places I love to visit and my office is one of them” he shrugged “Wow there are really different levels t
It was a bad idea I shouldn't have walked with Ryan into his office but that was exactly what I was doing, it was like I was being controlled with a remote. I didn't know how to stop myself, when I saw him outside I wanted to get back into the car and zoom off but he invited me to have tea in his office. I hesitated a bit but went with him.“Have a seat” he pointed to an empty sit opposite a big polished tableThe office was grand and intimidating, just like him. The massive, polished desk dominated the room, spotless and perfectly arranged. Shelves lined the walls, filled with untouched books, while bold, expensive artwork hung in between. A crystal chandelier sparkled overhead, casting light on the leather chairs and golden accents that made the space feel more like a showroom than a workspace. Everything was luxurious and cold, more about showing off wealth than creating a place to work. It was impressive but felt empty.“Thank you,” I said slowly taking a sit“Coffee or tea?” he
I rushed back to the house, it was almost time for my evening session with Leon and I also didn’t want him to notice I was away. It would just lead to a lot of questions and I didn’t want that. My heart was pacing quickly in my chest thinking about how badly my meeting with Ryan could have turned out the rage in his eyes was so scary anytime I thought back to it made me shudder. Him getting worked up when I mentioned him being threatened by Leon was quite unexpected, he flared up so much that I couldn’t help but wonder why he reacted so badly but that was wondering enough for me and the end of being nosey. As I opened the door of the house I was so shocked to see Leon and Nick seated in the living like they were waiting for someone “Hello” I whispered, as I turned to head upstairs praying that he wouldn't stop me but his harsh voice shouted me in my tracks “Where were you?” He asked “I went out,” I said, there was no reason to lie to him or tell him the truth either. His
Leon sat quietly for a moment, his eyes distant like he was somewhere far away. The gym felt heavier somehow, the silence stretching between us until he finally spoke.“When my father was alive,” he began, his voice low and steady“I didn’t feel like an outsider in the family, I knew I wasn’t welcomed by others but my father didn’t treat me differently so I didn’t care about the looks and whispers I got. He wasn’t the type to show affection. He wasn't warm or emotional but he treated me like his son. Not some illegitimate child” he continued I stayed silent, giving him the space he needed. Something in the way his voice carried made my heart ache for him, even before he said anything more. He didn’t have to tell me, the pain his voice carried as he spoke told me how he was struggling to let me in but he continued.“He was strict,” Leon continued, his gaze still far away, “All about business. Family get-togethers, vacations, or anything like that? He didn’t care for those. But I work
RYANI was raging in anger, I swept everything from the top of my desk causing everything to scatter and shatter on the floor in pieces. I paced back and forth, rage pulsing through my veins. My desk was a mess, papers scattered everywhere, broken glass crunching beneath my feet. I couldn’t stop myself, I grabbed another vase and hurled it at the wall, watching it shatter into pieces.“How dare she!!” I shouted pushing the shelf that held books in the office to the groundI was so angry that I felt like killing the bitch, she had the audacity to throw insults to my face. No one has ever dared to do it to my face, I was in disbelief at some point that I couldn't say a word.I had to teach her a lesson and waste no time doing it, I had to show her I wasn't to be fucking messed with.“What is the matter?” I heard my mother say, I looked up to see her standing by the door, her eyes fixed on the mess I had created.“I don't need you around me Mom, leave!” I roared at her but she didn't mov
LEONAlthough I was pissed at Naya for going to see Ryan, it came from a place of worry. I knew what they were capable of and what they could do to her if they wanted to and not only that but she was bringing the attention I was trying to avoid right to me. I kept thinking of the possibility of things that they could try to hurt her or ridicule her but nothing was forthcoming.I was to meet up with Ryan which was something I hadn’t done in a long time. The last time Ryan and I had a sit down it didn't end well and I was about to do it again. I just couldn't sit still while he plotted to do whatever it was to Naya. I would never let that happen not on my watch. I was intrigued by how confident and fearless Naya was. She gave me a bit of confidence why there was no reason to be scared of them or what they could do. It should be the other way around.They should be scared of me.When there were rumors of me being the next president of the company Ryan tried to threaten me that he would l
NAYALeon was responding well to the treatment and therapies and that was the best thing that had happened to me in a long time as little as it was. It was a huge progress. This was someone who was told he would never be able to walk but he could stand for a few minutes before his legs gave out, the longest we have recorded that he stood for was exactly three minutes and that was the happiest three minutes of my life.The results I had been yearning and wishing for were finally playing out, it felt like I could finally breathe. Now I knew that he could definitely walk again with just a few more push to go, but I didn't want to push him too hard so I gave him more space to rest his muscles instead of two sessions a day I made it three times in a week.“Hey Nick” I waved at him as he walked into the living room“Good morning ma’am,” he said making me groan, he just didn't want to let go of the whole ma’am thing“Is Leon out of bed?” he asked “He would be somewhere around, we have no re
After speaking to him I left him with his thoughts. It was up to him to decide if he wanted to go or not. I found myself on Kayla’s social media page. It was something I had become accustomed to and I did it every night, I had trouble sleeping or before I went to bed. I was scared to sleep most nights because the nightmares were relentless. Before I had a reason to stay awake reading and researching the whole night but when I didn't have to do that I ended up falling asleep after staring at the ceiling for a long time and I would wake up sweating or screaming. It was like I was being hunted by my sister.Images of her body replayed in my dreams every night, it was torture that I hated falling asleep, so instead I stalked Kayla's social media wounding my heart more and more by digesting videos and pictures of her living her best life, there was a video of her flaunting the new sports car she just bought. She was living life and seeing her happy made my heart ache badly. She didn't dese
LEON“Let me fucking go” I hissed at the doctor trying to clean up my wounds“But sir you are bleeding,” he said“I don’t fucking care!” I roared “I want every doctor in this hospital to attend to her, she must wake up or I would burn this place to the fucking ground!!” I shouted, there was a banging in my head as I spoke but I ignored it. I had to make sure Naya was fine“We have been able to stabilize her, we can only hope that she wakes up,” he said slowly like he was scared of the words as they came out of his mouth“Don’t tell me that! I would pay any damn amount just make sure she is fine and she wakes up please” my voice cracked as tears filled my eyes, it was unbearable to keep watching her lay still like that“What is going on? What happened?” Nick rushed in looking between me and Naya“We will try our best you have my word,” the doctor said I crashed on the couch holding my head tightly trying to stop the banging that refused to stop“Why hasn’t this been covered up?” Nick
LEONPain shot through my body the moment I opened my eyes. It was sharp and burning, but it didn’t matter. None of it mattered. The only thing that did was her.“Naya.”I managed to say her name and it came out in a whisper, barely audible but it was the only thing I could say. My vision was blurry, the hospital ceiling above me spinning, but I forced myself to move.I had to see her.With every bit of strength I had, I pushed myself up. A sharp stabbing pain shot through my ribs, and my arm screamed in pain, but I didn’t care. I ripped out the drip attached to my arm, ignoring the sting, I dragged my legs off the bed. The floor was cold against my bare feet, but I barely felt it.I needed to find her.My knees failed me the moment I tried to stand, but I gritted my teeth and held onto the wall tightly using it to balance myself. Step by step, I forced my body to move, ignoring the shouts of the nurses behind me. I staggered through the hallway, my mind drowning in the only thought t
NAYALeon didn’t let me lift a finger. If I allowed him, he would even bathe me every morning. He didn’t let me out of his sight for a second, always hovering around me like I was going to disappear into thin air if he looked away. It was sweet, really, but sometimes, it was too much.I loved how much he cared, but I also needed my space. Every little thing, he wanted to do for me, pulling out chairs, opening doors, carrying things I could easily handle myself. If I so much as reached for a glass of water, he was already there, handing it to me before I could even touch it. I knew he was just being protective, but at times, it felt like I couldn’t even breathe without him watching over me.“Good morning darling, I brought breakfast” he smiled walking in with a tray“I’m not hungry” I whined putting the blanket over my head “Come on love you have to eat” he turned over the side of the bed tugging the blanket“I feel nauseous, and I think you are feeding me way too much” I whined“You
JENNIFER I decided to invite all the board members for a meeting so I could convince them to vote for Ryan in the upcoming election. The last time I tried to reach out to them, they were stubborn and refused to meet with me. They claimed Ryan had to terminate the contract because the only other option left was Leon, and the idea of giving him the title was unacceptable.But after Leon revealed himself as the CEO of TechNova, things changed. I heard that some people were already rallying votes for him, and I had to shut it down before it got out of hand.Leon was smart and calculating, I would give him that. He had always been that way. Unlike others who underestimated him and mistook his quietness for weakness, I knew better. That was why I bought the idea of getting him married, to at least put a leash on him. But that plan failed miserably, and now we were stuck dealing with the consequences.Ryan, on the other hand, couldn’t get anything done. He had been like that his entire life
NAYAI felt horrible, the moment I opened my eyes, I knew something was off. My body felt sluggish, my head was pounding, and there was this awful taste in my mouth that made me want to gag. I swallowed hard, trying to shake off the discomfort, but the second I moved, a sharp wave of nausea hit me so fast that I barely had time to scramble out of bed.I ran straight to the bathroom, dropping to my knees as my stomach twisted painfully. My body leaned forward into the toilet bowl, and before I knew it, I was throwing up everything I had in me. The retching didn’t stop. I held onto the toilet bowl, my fingers gripping the edges as my stomach continued to churn. My eyes felt heavy, and my throat burned.What the hell was this feeling?When I finally stopped, I slumped against the bathroom wall, completely drained and tired. My body felt weak and my bones heavy. I took in slow, shaky breaths, trying to steady myself. Maybe I ate something bad last night? That had to be it, I thought to my
RYAN Everywhere I turned, Leon’s face was either plastered on a billboard or the main topic of conversation. It was impossible to escape him. His product launch was all anyone could talk about, and there were massive campaigns and promotions happening everywhere. I couldn’t stand it. The mere sight of his name or company logo made my blood boil. I made sure every single TechNova product was thrown out of my office and my house. I didn’t want to see anything that reminded me of that bastard. But no matter how much I tried to erase him from my space, he was still everywhere. What pissed me off the most was that I still didn’t understand how he managed to build something so big from the ground up without anyone noticing. How had he done it in complete silence? How had he kept it hidden for so long? It didn’t make sense. I refused to believe he built it on his own. I was convinced he must have acquired the company and was just pretending to own it. So, I had people look
AMARIEThe next few weeks were hell everything had completely destroyed in our faces, it was bad to the point that James started selling off things we owned to try to keep the project going. He started with our vacation home then Kayla's car that he got her for her birthday but that wasn't enough still so I started to sell off some of my jewelry but all that was still not enough. The reporter kept calling and demanding for money or he would expose the news to the press but we have given and given that there was no more to give.Kayla locked herself in her room and refused to come out, I didn't know what that was about but she needed to go be with Ryan and get him to love her so we could ask for his help and tell him the truth rather than the truth being revealed through the press because that would be let all hell loose on us.“Kayla open the door” I knocked on her door“Let me fucking be Mom I am not going to meet Ryan” she hissed“This is for your good, everything can crash to the g
NAYAI tried to brush away the conversation I had with Kayla but what I didn’t get was her saying she was supposed to get married to Leon originally, I didn’t understand what she meant by that, and that somehow found its way to remain in my mind as I waited for Leon to return so I could ask what it was about.I sat in the living room waiting for the door to open up. After about an hour the door opened and Leon walked in with a smile on his face but I didn’t return it. I needed answers. “Did you miss me?” He asked placing a peek on my forehead“Why the long face?” He asked pinching my cheeks playfully “Did anything happen today?” I asked“I was waiting to get to you so I could tell you what went down,” he said“What is it?” I asked“It is quite interesting but expected to be honest,” he said with a smile as he sat beside me“But first you tell me what’s up with you,” he said“Well I got a call from Kayla,” I said“Really?” He eyes widened“Let me guess she tried to threaten you?” He
AMARIE“Amarie!” I heard my name being called, loud and urgent.“Where are you?” My husband's voice echoed through the house, filled with tension.I quickly made my way down the stairs, my heart pounding in my chest as I rushed down. Something was wrong, James never sounded like this unless it was serious.“I am right here,” I called out. “What is going on?” I askedAs soon as I stepped into the living room, I stared in confusion as he was pacing back and forth, his hands gripping his hair tightly. His breathing was uneven, and his face was twisted in frustration. My stomach clenched at the sight, I could immediately tell something was up and it was something big and bothersome.“Did something happen?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady, but my throat felt dry.He stopped pacing for a second, looked at me, then turned away again.“There is trouble,” he muttered, almost to himself.“What are you talking about?” I pressed, stepping closer.“There is trouble,” he repeated, his voic