Third Person POVThe room was struck into a tense silence after Amanda asked the question, and Martha was inwardly going frantic. She knew that the longer she stayed without answering, the more guilty she would look. But she also had no idea how to answer Amanda's questions without implicating herself. She had to save herself. But with what consequences? Martha's eyes met those of the directors who were still standing and waiting for her to answer. She saw them give her a discreet smile, and she shivered. The directors themselves were rather confident. They were positive that Martha would not sell them out. So they did not even feel the least threatened by Amanda's words. Martha was still panicking. She tried to speak but no words came forth. Just before she thought she was going to ruin things and throw away her only chance of saving herself, Amanda stepped in again. "You know, Martha, I was so heartbroken when I heard that you knew about this from the get-go. But those men said t
Amanda's POVI watched silently as shock filled Martha's face. She stared at the officers, her mouth agape. I had anticipated the satisfaction I would feel when Martha was finally called out for her evil deeds, but damn it felt so good. I watched as she shook her head helplessly at the officers. Suddenly, she turned to me, throwing herself at my feet. "P-Please…please, I-I am sorry. I never meant to do it. They threatened me, I swear it. I would never try to hurt you on purpose. Please, don't let them take me away."Tears of panic had filled Martha's eyes as she begged, but I did not care. For the first time, seeing someone in a position like this did not move me. Not when they were evil and despicable as Martha. The woman was a literal devil in disguise. Even looking at her filled me up with disgust. "Please!" Martha yelled tearily, clutching at my feet as the officers made to handcuff her. "I'm sorry. They threatened me. They made me do it."I laughed humorlessly, anger rising in m
Amanda's POVI took a deep breath and slowly turned around. The very thing I was trying to avoid was coming to pass, but Hailey had spotted me already, so there was no way I would still run away like a coward. Hailey was a bitch. She had always been, and I was pretty sure she was still a bitch. Back in high school, she had spespeciallyargeted me after my father died. My family had lost everything then and we could no longer afford the kind of things the other rich kids like Hailey could. So she began to treat me like trash. The only person who stood by my side then was Vanessa. She was from a humble home and never treated me differently. Hailey's eyes lit up with mockery as she looked at me from head to toe. I already knew that she was going to cause some kind of drama. A girl like Hailey would never change and I knew that all too well. "It is you. Wow…" she laughed, still looking at me mockingly. "Little old Amanda. What are the odds of offering you here?"She laughed again and pr
Amanda's POVI watched as Hailey moved to Quinn, her stupid fake smile still plastered on her face. "Hi," she greeted with a smile. It pissed me off to see her flipping her hair backward and facing Quinn with that annoying look on her face. I turned to see how Quinn would react. But I already knew how cold he could be, so I wasn't worried about him giving her a listening ear. Quinn stared at her coldly, making no move to show that he heard her. "You know, I knew someone like her won't be able to afford a car, especially at a place like this," Hailey continued to talk to Quinn despite being ignored."Hailey…" Daniel called out, trying to draw her back. But she shook his hand off. "No, Daniel, Amanda's boss needs to know what kind of person she is."As the two continued to argue, I saw Quinn take out his phone and begin to make a call. I couldn't hear him from where he was standing, but I was curious. After a few minutes, Daniel had finally been successful in stopping Hailey from maki
Amanda's POV"Please Mr McCullough," Daniel cried, falling to his knees in front of Quinn. "I-I don't know what happened back there. I'm really sorry for how disrespectful that girl was. I don't even know her, I swear. She is just a hookup girl I picked up. We don't have anything serious going on and she's not related to me in any way. Please, sir, I'm sorry ma'am, please forgive me. I hope this will not affect the business relationship I am trying to build with your company."It took all the self-control I could muster to keep my jaw from dropping. Did this man just deny his fiancée?! This was priceless, and I would have burst into laughter if I was not trying to keep my composure. Quinn looked amused but said nothing. And we both redirected our gaze back to the person who would surely have a lot to say about this. Beside Daniel, Hailey looked like she had just been slapped. Her jaw was slacked as she stared at Daniel with her eyes wide. It was even more funnier to me considering how
Amanda's POVMy heavy eyelids flitted open as the loud buzzing sound of my laptop hit my ears. I was still very groggy from sleep so it took a few seconds for me to reach my laptop."Hello?" I yawned lazily, bringing the laptop closer to get a good view of my best friend on the screen and sitting upright on the bed. That was when I noticed the tray of food on my bedside table. It was covered, but I could still perceive the scent of the food. I frowned, wondering why I was being served breakfast in bed, and who could be behind it. "Is everything okay? Why are you frowning so hard?" Vanessa asked. "What are you looking at?""I…" I didn't know how to say it, so I turned the laptop screen to the tray of food and slowly uncovered the plates to see what was inside. I was met with the delicious sight of syrupy pancakes, eggs, and sausages.What on earth…"Oh my God!" Vanessa squealed from the other line, craning her neck at her own laptop screen. "Wait, is that the CEO's doing? Your husband
Amanda's POVWe all whipped around to see Granny Maria walk into the living room, her lips pressed into a thin line. I silently thanked the universe for bringing her in at this exact moment, not having any atom of energy to argue with Candace or Mrs Rosalina. "How many times have I asked you to leave this girl alone, Rosalina?" Granny Maria continued curtly. "Quinn married her, whether it was a secret wedding or not, does not matter. What matters is that they are both happy, and they both live here now. So, stop it! I won't hear any more of this, understand?"Candace bowed her head. "Yes ma'am."Mrs Rosalina nodded, although I could see the resistance in her eyes. "Fine. But that really wasn't a jab at Amanda and Quinn's wedding. I was just wondering, asking…it's not a big deal. I'm sure Amanda understands."She sent me a look so scathing that I had no choice but to nod. "Yes, Granny. I'm sure Mrs Rosalina didn't mean it as anything."Granny Maria waved her hand dismissively. She the
CHAPTER 32Amanda's POV"What?!" I blurted out before I could stop myself. I stared at Granny Maria, and my eyes widened. Oh no. Oh, hell no. This wasn't how this was supposed to go!The tears in my eyes had dried off. To be frank, I didn't even understand why I had been moved to tears earlier while I was confessing my fake love for Quinn. Something about it just made me so emotional. Not to mention the heart-wrenching emotions that reminded me of the love story I thought I had with that bastard, Logan. I had gotten carried away, and could barely stop the tears that pricked at my eyes. But what I hadn't expected was for Granny Maria to suggest that Quinn and I have a wedding ceremony. A wedding?! It was disconcerting just to think about it. Being married to him in name and by law was already so tasking. I didn't know how much more I could take. Plus, having a wedding would only solidify this fake marriage. Still shaking, I snuck a glance at Quinn. Although his features were compose
Gabriel reached his car, his hand hovering over the door handle as the sound of passing cars filled the evening air. He hesitated, his mind replaying the brief but tense interaction with Abigail inside the restaurant and the call he just received about his missing son.Leaving without a word felt wrong—cowardly even. After all, she had made time to meet him, however begrudgingly. With a deep sigh, he turned back, his shoes clicking against the pavement as he retraced his steps to the restaurant.Inside, Abigail sat at the table, her posture straight, her expression impassive as she stirred her drink absently. She didn’t look up immediately when Gabriel approached, but the faint narrowing of her eyes signaled that she was aware of his presence.“I need to leave,” Gabriel said abruptly, his voice strained with urgency.Abigail set her glass down and leaned back, her gaze finally meeting his. “What’s the problem this time?”“My son has gone missing,” Gabriel admitted, his tone sharp with
QuinnRobert leaned back in his office chair, rubbing his temples as he stared at the spreadsheets displayed on his computer screen. The day had been long and riddled with minor frustrations, but he couldn’t afford to slow down. Just as he was about to focus on the next task, his phone buzzed. It was the receptionist.“Sir,” the receptionist said politely, “there’s someone here who wants to see you. He says it’s important.”Robert frowned, briefly glancing at the clock on his desk. He wasn’t expecting anyone. “Did he give his name?”“No, sir. He just said it concerns something you’d want to see.”After a moment of consideration, Robert sighed and straightened in his chair. “Fine. Send him in.”A few minutes later, the door opened, and a tall, middle-aged man in a crisp gray suit stepped in. His expression was neutral, professional, but there was a sharpness in his eyes that immediately caught Robert’s attention.It was his private investigator.“Good afternoon, sir,” the man greeted,
Abigail sat in her office, her phone resting in her hand, the screen still glowing with Gabriel’s name in her inbox. The brief exchange weighed on her mind, stirring emotions she’d thought buried long ago. “Who are you texting?” Sarah asked, her tone casual but curious.Abigail hesitated, her thumb brushing against the phone’s edge before setting it down. “It’s Gabriel,” she admitted, her voice calm.Sarah’s demeanor shifted instantly as her expression hardened.“What does that motherfucker want now?” she snapped, her words laced with contempt.Abigail took a deep breath. “He almost died,” she began, her voice steady. “And I saved him.”Sarah’s reaction was swift and sharp. “You saved him?” she exclaimed, her disbelief apparent. “You should’ve let him die, Abigail. After everything he’s done, you should’ve walked away.”Abigail’s gaze dropped to her desk, her fingers idly tracing the wood grain. “He’s still Daniella’s father, Sarah,” she said quietly. “I couldn’t face my daughter
CASSIE I could not thank the stars enough for saving my ass earlier this morning, yet again. My heart was still pounding from the close call I'd had with Julia. Even now as I stood in my room alone, I muttered a prayer of thanks for the fact that I'd been able to escape that situation. I could only imagine the look on her face if she'd seen the text message. There was nothing I would be able to say or do in my defence. The secret would have been revealed in the worst way possible and my entire life would have changed in the blink of an eye. For the worst. "Thank goodness," I said aloud to no one in particular. Chills ran down my spine as I imagined all the scenarios in my head, all the possible things that might have happened if Julia saw that text from Tyre. She probably would have ripped my eyes out and had me arrested like she'd wanted to. I placed a hand on my chest as I sat down in bed and tried to take a breather. My life was already dramatic enough. This was not the time for
Amanda I tossed and turned in my bed the entire night, unable to sleep. All I could think about was the situation I'd found myself in. Through the night I had so many different thoughts, wondering how I was supposed to get out of this at all. It was enough to bring me to tears, but I struggled to keep at bay. What was the point of crying when it wouldn't solve anything? I needed to find a solution to this. The fact that Tyre did not even believe that I didn't have anything to do with the proposal was my biggest problem. If Tyre of all people didn't trust me then who would then trust me? I sighed repeatedly, burying my head into the pillow and trying not to scream in frustration. If there was a way to prove my innocence, then that would be solved. But no. There was nothing. There were already things being used against me namely the business card from Luke, and the wad of cash. Thinking of the card reminded me that the maid was still threatening me and despite the situation I was cur
AmadaI was still stunned by what happened between Tyre and I a few minutes ago. As I stood in the middle of the room, still in shock, I clenched my fists, feeling the anger bubble through my veins. I had actually been so scared when I saw Tyre like that. It was the first time I'd ever seen him so angry. I was trembling so badly, and I couldn't shake the feeling that he would have hit me if I attempted to push a little harder. That was highly annoying and terrifying. Tyre was literally about to explode at me, and it was all because of that girl, Camila. At this point, all of this shit was happening because of Camila. I couldn't believe Tyre had gripped me like that without caring if he would hurt me or not. Just because I'd said he should kick Camila out of the house. Had I done anything wrong? No, I had not. I was in the right. Camila had gone to meet Luke after all, so that obviously meant that they were together. What other proof did Tyre need?"Fuck this!" I yelled angrily into
AmandaLuke sprawled to the floor as my fist connected to his jaw. He writhed in pain briefly before jumping back up to his feet, glaring at me as though he had a million things he wanted to do to me. I mentally dared him to do something, to give me an excuse to beat him to a pulp. "What the hell?!" He yelled, wiping the blood that had begun to leak from his nostrils. "That is just the beginning of what is going to happen to you if you don't stay the hell away from Camila," I hissed at him. "Camila is mine. You get that? She belongs to me. I don't ever, and I mean ever, want to see you anywhere close to her again. Else I'll make you pay, I promise you that."Luke wiped his jaw and spat to the floor defiantly. "So this is about Camila? Really? Well, it seems you have forgotten that Camila is a person, a young woman. She does not belong to me. You make it sound like she's mere furniture in one of your mansions. She can't be owned by anyone because Camila isn't property you can stake a
AmandaI was fuming. I almost let out a scream of frustration as I barged into my room and banged the door shut behind me. I was so angry that for a second I found it difficult to relax and breathe. "That…that stupid bitch!" I screamed, my fists clenched. I wouldn't have thought it was possible to hate Camila more than I already did, but oh I was so wrong. With each passing day she kept infuriating even more. I wanted her gone as soon as possible. I needed her gone! All she did in this house was constitute a fucking nuisance. She was a hindrance, a waste of space, an excuse for a woman, a gold-digger…I swore loudly, biting down so hard on my lips that I tasted blood in my mouth. The list of all the things Camila was, was practically unending. I could go on and on about her sneaky and disgusting behaviour. The girl was so irritating! I knew I would never make progress with Tyre if she remained in this house or in our lives for that matter. And that was why I kept trying my best to
QuinnI climbed out of the car and headed straight for Jason's chambers. The guards at the door stopped me. "He's expecting me," I lied. "I called him already."They nodded and let me pass through. The main room was empty when I walked in, but I heard voices coming from the study. Surprised, I approached the door. But when I heard a familiar voice speak, it felt like I had been dunked in ice. "But when exactly, Jason? I've been patient enough," I heard Selene say. A million questions flooded my mind. What was Selene doing here?!"A little longer, sweetheart. Remember the doctor already confirmed that you cannot carry a pregnancy. I'm just waiting for that omega bitch, Kylie, to give birth to my heir. Once that's done, you will take the child. And then we can dispose of her, dump her in the trash where she truly belongs."My knees grew weak. I could not breathe. Suddenly the world began to spin and I got the overwhelming urge to throw up. No, no, no. This can't be happening to me.