Chapter 135Dexter I'd just ended the call with Lilly who decided to be clingy today and got the surprise of my life. Leonardo was the CEO of Hills Jewelry? How could such an evil person attain such an enviable position? Did Melissa know about his past and decide to get shares so that she could take over? I wondered. But what could be her motivation? He looked uncomfortable, his eyes coated with worry, and when I asked around, I noticed that he had allowed the cunning side of him to come to play. While the judges did their thing, I pushed through the crowd and approached him. He flinched when I patted his back and streaks of uncertainty shone through the veil of fear when our eyes met. "Dexter, what are you doing here?" He looked agitated and tried to sound calm, but I didn't care. He should be feeling more than that. "I should be asking you the same question. How on earth did you get the chance to become a CEO?" He shrugged and smirked at me, reminding me of how evil he co
Chapter 136Dexter I fiddled with the wristband Lorraine had gifted me before she went MIA, and gradually, I realised that I missed her. That would explain why I couldn't take the wristband off no matter how tempted I was. The sex on the beach drink I ordered, stayed still on top of the counter with no urge to take a sip from it. My life was a mess, made by the people I'd undermined. How could it be possible that I was just getting to know about the relationship between Leonardo and Emilia? It felt surreal, but it was just the truth. "Hey man," Wyatt said and took the empty chair beside me. "You look so down. You didn't get a proper suck before coming here?" He chuckled and made his own order as I rolled my eyes to his annoying joke. "If that was my problem, I wouldn't have called you." I hissed and finally downed the shot. "And I'd have you know that when I finally get sucked again, it will be from the only woman who I know can take me to heaven and back." "Oh, so you have
Chapter 137Melissa "We shouldn't be brusque with our decision, everyone makes mistakes." I pleaded on behalf of Leonardo, whose face was filled with beads of sweat cascading down his pale cheeks. The board members of Hills Jewelry had called for an impromptu meeting with just one aim, and that was to bring Leonardo down. Troy Golds was dealing with us decisively and if Leonardo didn't evacuate his position as CEO, we'd be facing a heavy lawsuit that we might not be able to evade. Once again, everything was going my way and it was really fun, having Leonardo plead with me to defend him when I was the one plotting his downfall. "Don't say that, Miss Rogers. This man here is a scallywag who knows nothing else aside from spending the company's funds ridiculously, at the expense of the stability of someone's legacy. Is that the person we need to be lenient with?" Mr Han thundered. If he wasn't working for me, I'd think that he was really mad at me so I kept shut, silently proving to
Chapter 138Dexter "Lorraine called me two nights ago." I informed Wyatt after settling inside his car where we would finalize Dante's set up. His eyes popped as he gazed at me. "Are you serious? You should have told me immediately so that I'd track the number she called you with." He said and I slapped my forehead. "You're right, but I was overwhelmed with the nostalgic and joyful feelings that came with hearing her voice once again, that I didn't even remember to do the proper thing." I placed my head on the headrest, as I remembered wishing and praying that she would call again. "I tried to call her back, but her it couldn't connect. I'm guessing she used a burner phone." "And if she used a burner phone, it means that she didn't want to be found." He interpreted as I sighed in disappointment. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't want to be found after all I'd put her through. "What will happen now? Is Dante close by?" I asked and he nodded, his eyes glued to his phone. It p
Chapter 139Melissa There were two reasons I came to the police station, none of which I was comfortable with: to visit Leonardo, who was arrested after the assault against Mr Han, and to have a word with inspector James. "Thank you for visiting, Melissa. You don't know what this means to me." Leonardo said after I waved at him. I almost chuckled, because if he had any idea of the real reason I was here, he wouldn't hesitate to strangle me to death. If not for the layout of my plans, I'd have liked him to stay here for a longer time. But I could always achieve that. "You don't have to thank me, Leonardo. I came here as soon as I could." I replied, putting up a sympathetic facade that I hoped he wouldn't be able to see through. "I shouldn't be here anyways, it's just that Han doesn't know how to keep his stupid mouth shut. How could he accuse me of spending the staff's salary on myself?" He flared up, and I rolled my eyes as he looked away. My recorder was on as I needed every e
Chapter 140Dexter "Start talking!" I thundered, my voice echoing in the empty warehouse, after I doused his body with a bucket of cold water that stirred him up from his sleep. He shook his head and tried to wipe the water off his face, but he couldn't as the chains that Wyatt wrapped around his body and connected to the iron chair, kept him bound. His eyes fluttered open as he panted. "I thought that I'd agreed, what's the use of this torture?" He croaked, struggling to break off from the grip of the chains. I scoffed at his stupidity. What made him think that I'd let him off the hook that easily? "Insurance, Dante." I smirked. "So start talking before your mother leaves this earth for good." I barked as he bit his lower lip and took a deep breath. "A few days before the wedding, Emilia told me that I was going to drive Lorraine and the other women to a certain address she would send to me. At first, I refused to help her, but my mother got really sick and she offered a hu
Chapter 141Author's POV She crouched close to the iron bars, wishing that she could bring them down and get her father out of there. "How are you doing, father?" Emilia asked, her eyes glazed with tears. Leonardo shrugged, apparently tired of the situation. "How do you expect me to feel?" He replied, his tone cranky. "I've been here for almost two days just because I lost my temper with a man who deserved it. How can they allow their CEO to rot here like an ordinary man?" He whined bitterly. "You mean that no one has visited you?" Leonardo lifted up his face, his gaze meeting hers. "I'm sure your ears are not placed on the sides of your head for fancy. Didn't you hear what I've been saying? The only person who came around today was Melissa, and she promised to get me out of here." Emilia rolled eyes and muttered inaudible words as she sprang to her feet. "And you really believe that she'd come through for you?" She asked, her face forming a frown. "I believe she will, because s
Chapter 142Melissa The meetings were becoming exhausting as I began to count the number of modelling jobs I had to miss. Modelling was my first love, but presently, getting back my late mother's legacy was my priority. "Today, we are here for the election of an interim CEO." Mr Robert announced and my heart skipped a beat. No one told me that we'd be taking votes today, if not I'd have informed everyone about it, including Dexter who was willing to help me out. "Isn't it impromptu?" I asked calmly, hoping that other members would also add their input. "No, it isn't. We'll need someone who we know can comfortably run this company while we focus on our jobs. So we'll pass our votes around and anyone with the highest number gets to become the interim CEO." He said and I couldn't deny that my body's temperature spiked. My palms became clammy with sweat, as my breathing rapidly increased. "Alright then." I hoped that I was the only one contesting for the position, but what made it
Chapter 160ONE YEAR LATER "You look so ravishing," Mrs Gonzales cupped my made up cheeks and planted a kiss on my forehead. "Thank you, aunt." I beamed with a smile as the veil was set on my head while she left the room to attend to something else. Aunty Rosa, as I fondly called her, had become a part of the family. I made her the CEO of my company as she was more than capable of being a leader, and also, I wanted to compensate her for everything she did for my mother. I was fine with being a consultant and when she was ready to retire, I'd take over. Since we moved to Colorado, my life with Dexter had been all shades of fun. The happiness I craved for after losing my mother was restored, and never did a day pass without me thanking the universe for granting me my wishes. And today, after five months of having my twins; Nyla and Brian, I was ready to walk down the aisle and experience what a beautiful wedding felt like. I stood in front of the mirror and stared at how wel
Chapter 159Melissa I peered down at Dexter's sleeping face and sighed. Doctor Luca had constantly assured me that he would be fine, but I was yet to understand why he hadn't woken up already. If Leonardo had succeeded in killing him, I'd have resurrected his dead body and murdered him myself. Actually, I low-key wished that I was the one who shot him, but it didn't matter anymore because he was dead and gone. Staring at the tubes connected to his body caused goosebumps to cover my skin. He was in the situation because of me. My mind wandered as several thoughts filtered in and out of my head. Lilly had come earlier with Mary to visit him, but even her presence couldn't stir him up. No! He couldn't remain this way forever. He had to wake up. I took one of the chairs in the ward and sat beside him, entwining our fingers while I used my free fingers to caress his face lightly. He was still the most handsome man I'd ever seen, even in unconsciousness. "Cupcake, how are you
Chapter 158Melissa Blood drained from my face as the bullet went straight to his chest, causing him to slump on the ground. Leonardo pushed Lilly away and tried to break into a sprint, but he was gunned down by the cops who opened fire on him until his body was filled with bullet holes. If Dexter wasn't lying on the ground in the pool of his own blood, I'd have been rejoicing that the source of all my troubles was dead, but the sight of him in a lifeless state snuffed out any trace of happiness within me. "Get the ambulance, please!" I roared, my heart plummeting as blood gushed out from his mouth. I held his hands, my tears forming a wet mask on my face as I caressed his head. His eyes were shut, but I refused to believe that he was dying. I sat on the ground and placed his head on top of my neck, then I tore the hem of my dress and dabbed his chest with him to reduce the rate of the blood flow. All the while I did that, my heart skipped several beats and my fingers trembl
Chapter 157Dexter"You need to come back home now, sir, Leonardo is threatening to shoot the madam." Mary, my nanny, whispered with a note of urgency as if she was being restricted from talking. At the mention of his name, my heart skipped a beat and my palms became clammy with sweat. Not because I was scared of him, but with him in our house, my wife's safety wasn't guaranteed. I'd gotten her message so there was no need for us to keep talking. I dropped the call and put inspector James on the line. As the minutes passed, my anxiety skyrocketed, threatening to hit the roof. My previously distracted mind was transcending into a state of frenzy and I couldn't do anything about it. He picked up after what seemed like eternity, and if he wasn't a noble police officer, I'd have thrown a punch at him. "Hi, Mr Hemingway. How are—" I cut through the pleasantries with clenched teeth. "I'm not fine, inspector James, Leonardo is in my house right now." "What? How is that even possible?
Chapter 156Melissa The sun shone brightly, the atmosphere bubbly and charged, but my feelings were the direct opposite as I worked on packing the rest of my clothes. It was past one pm, and it gradually dawned on me that in less than three hours, I'd be leaving California to Mexico. Mexico was a nice country, but I wasn't sure it would be nice to me if Dexter wasn't there. What could I do about it? Nothing! The doorbell jingle, so I dropped the last pair of black shoes I'd selected as I didn't know what event I might be attending, even though I planned to stay indoors throughout my visit there. My chest tightened since I wasn't expecting any visitors, then I shook away my suspicion, reminding myself that if it was Leonardo he wouldn't be coming directly through the door. I took a peek at the peephole and found a man standing beside a bike with a box, causing me to frown. It was strange to see him because I didn't make an order and I clearly wasn't expecting anything from some
Chapter 155Melissa He came in, his expression glimmering with pure exhaustion. My eyes intently followed his sluggish movement as I tried to overcome the barrier between us so that I would welcome him properly. "You didn't tell me that you'll be coming back this late. I've been waiting." His eyes darted to his wristwatch, then he palmed his forehead with a sigh. "I'm so sorry. I lost track of time. Today was really hectic, several things had to be put in place and I wanted to oversee some of the activities by myself." He explained calmly, while I peered at him, my jaws slackened in surprise. We were supposed to be having a beef, but here he was, explaining how his entire day went even though his body screamed for rest. Strings of guilt gnawed at my chest as I fiddled with my fingers. I'd been completely selfish, and that was why I couldn't notice that my husband was slowly losing his mind because of my problems. I wasn't even making things easier for him. "Can you come over to
Chapter 154Melissa It was over a week since Leonardo managed to outsmart the cops and ran away, and I'd admit that I lost my peace of mind ever since. He could be lurking around, patiently waiting for the right time to strike and I wouldn't know. I wanted it all to end. I wanted to live happily with my family, take a long break from work and just reap all the fruits of my hard work, but all of my wishes wouldn't happen with Leonardo running freely while his daughter was behind bars. Dexter came into the room with a brown envelope in his hands. Once he heard that Leonardo had escaped, he lost his peace as he aided the cops in searching for him. He had become a shadow of his handsome self, as he was more interested in keeping Lilly and I safe. "Hi, cupcake, how was your day?" I asked as he sank on the bed and kissed my lips lightly. His hands moved to my abdomen which he caressed fondly. It was still flat as the pregnancy hadn't gotten to three months. It was a good thing becau
Chapter 153Melissa Seeing that everyone was already seated in the boardroom, including Leonardo and the rest of the staff, I stood up to address them. "I'm sure you are all wondering why I called for this impromptu meeting. It's because we have an important announcement to make, but before that, I'd like to appreciate everyone who is working tirelessly to ensure that Hills Jewelry is back to the top again." I said and they followed my speech with an ovation. I spoke to them with an air of confidence, passing glances at Leonardo who tried to hide his frown. If only he knew what I had in store for him today, he wouldn't be present at the meeting at all. But I found a way to lure him here, promising him that I was going to help him return to his former position. "You all showed me love and unwavering support, and in these few days of working together, we have been able to convince Troy Golds to partner with us. The partnership will be more beneficial to us because of their influenc
Chapter 152DexterMy heart thudded faster as I waited patiently in Doctor Luca's office for him to come with the DNA test result. I knew that Liam claimed to be Lilly's father and he had several ways of proving it, but for some unknown reasons, I hoped that a miracle would occur and the result would be in my favor. The door made a creaking sound as Doctor Luca let himself in. I searched his face for a clue, but as usual, his face gave away nothing. He sank onto his seat and said nothing for some seconds, then he inhaled and fixed his gaze on me. "The result is ready." He announced like I didn't know already. "Can I have it?" I asked curtly, getting cranky by the minute. He passed a brown envelope to me which I opened. A white paper fell out and I opened it, unwilling to drag the tension further. I scanned through the information, unable to make out what it meant until I got to the end and saw the statement of the result. My heart plummeted when I read that the probability of my