Chapter 81Lorraine My mother! He killed my mother. My body went cold, my eyes trained on the man who snickered at me with satisfaction. I didn't know what to feel, how to feel. My brain had gone numb, or maybe it was processing the nerve-wracking information and searching for the perfect way to react. I tried to speak, but the words remained stuck in my throat. Then my emotions began to seep out of me—a roller-coaster of pain, sadness, anger that I didn't search for this loathe-worthy man and kill when I had the chance. It would become the number one thing on my bucket list if I ever survived this situation. "You killed her?" I asked through a whisper, searching his eyes for any flicker of remorse and trying to come to terms that I was sitting in front of a murder. He didn't disappoint me because if there was anything I saw, it was greed, hatred and maybe lust. The last one got me shivering because I'd never allow him to touch me again. I'd rather die. "Of course, I did. She
Chapter 82Dexter I tapped my fingers restlessly on a table beside me, creating a troubled rhythm. For the umpteenth time, I checked my phone. It was past three in the evening and the wedding was supposed to begin by twelve pm. Arnold strode towards me, his eyes bearing concern. "What's going on? Have you heard from Lorraine?" His eyes scanned through the crowd. That was the worst part. She wasn't picking my calls or returning them and when I decided to call again, her phone was switched off. I'd dialed Victoria's line but it was unavailable as well. They couldn't all be having issues with their phones at the same time. "Not reachable. Dante who was supposed to bring them here isn't picking my call and I'm more than worried. I'll have to leave the venue." I sighed, running my fingers through my hair in frustration. Where the hell was Dante anyways? "But what about the guests? Most of them are becoming impatient and I can't blame them." He noted. I slammed my fist on the tabl
Chapter 83Lorraine Dad? "Emilia," I called her attention huskily, afraid of what was coming to my mind. "What are you doing here and how do you know Leonardo?" My heart thumped hard against my chest as I awaited a plausible response that would put my fear away. She couldn't be all that bad, could she? She threw an amused glance at her father then chuckled. "You are yet to catch the memo, aren't you? I just called him my father. What makes you think I'll be here if we don't share biological relations?" She replied sassily like I'd insulted her. I shook my head vehemently, hoping that the growing headache would go away. "How's he your father?" I whispered in a daze. She tsked, giving me an angry onceover. "Because he slept with my mother and they formed me, duh. You are so dumb, Lorraine. Did you think you could have everything to yourself? My man and the inheritance. You don't deserve anything good." She lashed at me, taking a few steps away from Leonardo and traipsing towards m
Chapter 84Lorraine Like Victoria's death didn't matter to any of them, I was shoved away from her and dragged out of the room like a common criminal. I stumbled through the daze of seeing my friend killed, my wedding dress smeared with her blood as I wondered how Dexter would receive the news. Obviously, I won't be able to tell him because they'd probably kill me too. "Stop!" Leonard's husky voice cut through my trance-like-state then the man who held me let go, while I slumped on the ground, my body bereft of energy. "You all can leave." He ordered and they left except for Emilia who scooted to the ground. She jutted my chin towards her with a snicker. "How the mighty have fallen.” She mocked. “It's time to go get your man, honey, and by the time he's done watching the video that's if he hasn't gotten it already, he'll be all mine." She taunted me. I gave off no reaction as I didn't see the need to. They have succeeded. My once bubbly day had been drowned with bad events from
Chapter 85Dexter I was broken beyond repair. Lorraine just killed my sister without any form of remorse like a trained killer. She jilted me to exact revenge. I spun around and my fist connected with the window of my car which had an immediate crack at the impact. Drake watched me quietly after collecting the phone, but he didn't interfere which made me happy. "I thought she loved me." I rasped, sliding down my car as my voice cracked. Drake interfered this time and crouched beside me. "Things happen for a reason, boss and she might have acted under duress." He added, then snapped his mouth shut when I sent him a scathing look. There was no need to find her or maybe there was, but not today. It was getting late and going ahead to find my sister's body would prove abortive because I had no idea where Lorraine took her to. "Take me home." He opened the car door for me without saying anything then drove off. The car rolled into the facade of my empty house and I pulled myself in
Chapter 86Lorraine The path I was headed to was lonely. Not just lonely but scary as well. It gave me the creeps, but I dared not take a backward glance because of the thick darkness lurking behind me. ‘What was I doing here?’ I thought aloud and fear coursed through my body as I got a response in the form of an echo. "My child," came the shrill voice my brain refused to acknowledge as I wrapped my arms around myself, hoping that my scaredy mind was cooking up voices. But the voice came again, stronger than the first and I was forced to halt my steps. Summoning courage, I turned around and a woman dressed in immaculate white which had a golden glow smiled at me. Her smile was warm and kind, and her eyes were filled with sympathy and an endearing kind of love that only one person could give me. My mother, I realised, was standing here with me. My heart skipped a beat as I took a step backwards in fear. "W-Who are you?" Terror was evident in my shaky voice. Her smile didn't fa
Chapter 87Lorraine Late in the afternoon in Monterrey, Mexico, I decided to take a stroll around William's gigantic house. At the hospital, he told me to stop calling me Mr Rogers when we left the hospital last week since he had already taken me as his daughter. I was clad in my skinny blue swimsuit that matched the color of the pool, but I had a lace white robe covering my scantily covered body. Being away from all the chaos in California was like taking a breath of fresh air. I really liked it here, but the hollow Jess at the pit of my stomach just couldn't be filled up. "Can we take a swim together?" I flinched but I didn't bother to look back because I knew who it was. My lips twitched as I took off my robe. "Sure you can, William. It will be nice to have a dip while the sun baths us." I replied and headed for the pool. Before I could take a dip, he'd already thrown himself in, the effect causing a heavy splash on both sides. I did the same and we both burst into laughter a
Life they say is not just a bed of roses but it has its bouquet of thorns. However, Lorraine had more thorns in her life than roses. Several attempts were made to end her life just because... And the man who was supposed to protect her turned his back against her, leaving her to the wicked claws of death. Fortunately, she met a good man who made her his priority and after having a good conversation with her late mother, she decided to return to her past to take revenge on those who enjoyed inflicting pain on her. She will return as Melissa Rogers, an elegant and charming model who's not just talented but a wealthy business woman as well. She's happy to meet her husband after two years, but her heart is broken into shards when she discovers that she wasn't just betrayed by her friends, but also by the man she loves. They thought it was over, but it's just the beginning and they are yet to feel the true meaning of pain. PS: Melissa Rogers will be the new Lorraine Hills. Since she'
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