ELLA'S POV I woke up to the soft sounds of Xavier pulling out of the bed. His soft footsteps pulled me out of sleep as I flustered my lids open. I was welcomed by the sight of him getting dressed and checking out his outfit in the mirror of the dressing room. I still hadn't made It up to him about what happened last night.His silence and the absence of his early morning hums hinted that he was mad at me. I stood up from the bed, putting on the robe as I walked in his direction. From where I stood, I could see him standing by a side of the dressing room. He was adjusting his tie while staring at his own reflection in the mirror. Xavier's jaw was well clenched as I made my way into the dressing room.I walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder from behind. “Hello handsome.” I said, laughing as I teased. Xavier was able to hold himself from laughing but I had other plans to make him laugh.I reached forward and hugged from behind feeling the soft texture of his shirt. The soft s
POISON'S POV Never in my life had I expected to be met by Ella's question. It crashed into me like a ton of bricks, the haunting sound of her voice filling my insides with dark, poignant fear.I felt the air passing through my lungs hitch as I clenched my fists to my sides. The silence that followed her question stretched endlessly as little beads of desperation clung to my forehead.“What is your name, really?” She repeated the question again but this time, it didn't seem as if I had the luxury of picking whether I was going to answer or not, it was a command. Her tone was driven by an authority that seemed unquestionable even for someone like myself.I fixed my face into a frown, my eyes darting over to hers as I clenched my jaw. I wasn't going to leave any gaps for suspicion, I had to act as clean as possible. Considering the low amount of time I was given to go over the role as Caroline, a poor caretaker to the president. I took a long breath and opened my lips to speak, “Caroli
POISON’S POV If Madame Browne hadn't stepped in, my entire cover would've been blown. It would have all gone down the drain and I'd get spotted out for being suspicious and once suspicious steams in, the entire plan gets ripped apart.I released a low gasp the instant Ella's gaze left my body. She turned her gaze in the direction of the other end of the room where Madame Browne stood. “What is that about?” She asked Madame Browne so calmly as she stood up from the chair and paced towards the door's frame. “It is regarding the interview, I heard you needed information to give you clarity on her background?” Madame Browne said the words, strolling into the room with the soft sound of her heels clicking against the marbled tile seeping into the air.At the sound of her voice, I felt a gaze lingering on me. It was from her, Ella. She tilted her gaze swiftly in my direction and held my gaze for what felt like forever, suspicion glistening in her eyes.I froze, anticipation creeping into
ELLA'S POV Something wasn't right.I could feel it in my bones. At first, it came as a simple feeling of uncertainty but now, I was certain. Something about the information didn't add up. The names, her back stories, the stutters, you can find it weird but those are hints.I had to take note of those.The slick dampness that clung to my palms grazed the edges of the paper as I exhaled. There had to be a clue here— something must be out of place. Humans are liable to mistakes but this time, the information was perfectly aligned, yet something still felt off. I inspected the paper in my hands for a moment, my eyes moving frantically as I tried to get out a detail from it that stood against what Caroline had told me.Speaking of the devil, where was she? I jerked out of thoughts and darted my gaze across the room as I searched for her thin figure but to my shock, she was nowhere to be found. “Where did she go?” I asked, tilting my head as I faced Madame Browne.Madame Browne's smirk
POISON'S POV.“Formula 9.0,” I uttered the word slowly watching as Kayla's eyes darkened. She darted a swift gaze to her surrounding check if there was someone hovering close by and after a minute or two of thorough investigation, she turned back to me.“You know you're not supposed to say that out loud, I could get sent to jail for that shit!” She yelled at me even in a whisper. I chuckled darkly, seeing how worked up she was about my words.“Calm down, I just need to get it today. It kind of an emergency,” I said, holding her shoulder as I watched her smirk before turning to open the door to her shady moveable outlet.The keys rattled as the lock snapped open. She twisted the swiftly and pushed the door open, the thud it made bracing they inner walls of my ears. The inside of the room was dark just like I expected.Kayla always insisted on it being in darkness just Incase the police comes for a search when she wasn't around. “Come in,” She said and turned to face me. I stepped into
POISON’S POVI rushed all the way back to the McKinney mansion with the help of Kayla's shabby looking car. I had no other option but to do that, there were no taxis and the buses weren't in circulation. It was already evening when I arrived at the tall gates of the mansion.The ethereal moonlight lit the well tiled estates. The McKinney mansion sure did look picture perfect under the moonlight, it's silver gates glistened under the soft blue hues of moonlight. I pushed closer to it and as I reached to press the button to alert the gate keepers, I heard the sound of a car's engine behind me. It was obvious Kayla was going back. I turned to stare at the fleeting figure of her car for a minute before I tilted my gaze back to the gate. Steely, I pressed the button and watched as a receding beep sound pierced through the air.I waited a long minute, feeling the weight of the formula in the shopping duffel bag in my hand. I'd coated the formula inside a piece of cabbage just Incase someo
POISON'S POV A lone sweat trickled down my forehead as my chest heaved. “Ugh—” I tried to speak but nothing came out of my lips.Ella's eyes loomed brightly with contempt as she paced towards the counter. My fingers curled around it frantically as I felt my nails digging into its edible texture. I had to do something. I couldn't allow her to find out about the formula, if she did, an entirely different level of suspicion would rise. Before she could get to the counter, I released my grip on the cabbage before grabbing another item out of the duffle bag.It was an apple.I raised it, eyeing it before I finally spoke, “I was about to make a fruit salad for the president. As you can see here, I've got it all under control.”My heart continued racing, the erratic beatings it made making my pulse race. I held my breath the whole while she paced towards the counter, each step of her shoes making my breath hitch.She paused just before the counter and glared at the items on the ceramic cou
XAVIER'S POV The first thing I did when I woke up the morning of the first day of the challenge was to take a cold shower to think about it. The cold water washed down my head as I buried myself in thoughts.How dangerous would it get?With Uncle Luke around, I could already tell that things were going to get messy from there. I had to be prepared for whatever they were bringing on.I stepped out of the showers and dressed in a robe. The first thing I noticed when I stepped out of the bathroom was the sleek scent in the air. It was flowery, tantalizing in a way that made me smile.Ella.She was in the dressing room, brushing her hair in neat strands. She was dressed in a gown that clung to her sides appropriately, her beauty making me stare helplessly.I walked towards her making sure she didn't see me when I gripped her slowly from behind. “You look beautiful today,” I said, placing a kiss on her neck.“Today? What about yesterday and the day before?” Ella teased as we both broke in
XAVIER'S POV When my lips pulled open, It was to the starry vision of a dark room. I winced sharply, fear purring in my veins as I tried my best to make out something from the background I was.The last thing I remembered was zoning out after the president told me my family were killed by the brutal hands of Lucas McKinney and Madam Browne. As the thought punched through my mind, I shook my head slowly, my face powdered with sweats.Even now, I still couldn't believe it. It had to be a joke. Madame Browne and Lucas couldn't have done that. This had to be a dream, a nightmare of some sorts.I was sure it was edged far away from reality. That was the only logical reason I was waking up in a dark room. I must be sleeping peacefully on a bed with Ella's body clinging to mine.I must be sleeping peacefully.That had to be it.This was a dream.With gentle flinches, I pulled my back from the hard ground and I felt the brushing texture of the group against my back. The sudden scratch caused
XAVIER'S POV I obeyed the president's words and took my seat. As I did that, I still couldn't get a grip over the waves of emotions soaring in my chest. I flashed him a glance and I noticed the plain glint of remorse in his eyes.For quite a long time now, the president had been hiding something. I knew that for sure but what didn't know was why. Anytime he tried to talk to me, either Madame Browne or Lucas comes in and intrudes but this time around, there's no rooms for games.My heart thumped wildly in my chest as I took my seat and my chest heaved. I stared back at the president expecting him to start an explanation but instead, he stood up and walked over to the door which he locked before walking back to where I was.I wasn't sure what it was but I could tell for a fact that something was about to go down. Something dark. Something ground shattering.I steadied the uneven gasps rippling through my lips and turned back to him. The president's eyes turned dark almost immediately a
XAVIER'S POV.I strolled into the hallway slowly with the weight of Ella's gaze still pressing against my back. Ignoring it, I continued and walked over to the elevator where I tapped the button leading in. As the doors chimed open, I stepped into it and locked my arms.I watched the doors close and yet I could feel her gaze on me. It layered over my skin, tracing delicate patterns that made it nearly impossible to keep a steady heartbeat. A cloud of sweats loomed over my forehead and upon several intervals, I'd wipe them off swiftly.The cold droplets of sweat trickled down the side of my face as I clenched my fists. My mind wasn't at ease. I had a lot of unanswered questions. First was why did the president acknowledge dying soon?What did he mean?I was just about to ponder on the questions when the thought of his mention of Madame Browne and Lucas punched through my mind. My heart palpitated but I stayed still, feeling a surge of dread in me as I thought of them.I shook my head s
ELLA'S POV I couldn't wait to get home.I had to tell him.Xavier deserved to know everything. He deserved to know that Rochelle wasn't really pregnant. He deserved to know that Cassandra worked for Madame Browne and is probably trying to kill the president and most of all, he deserved to know one thing, the one news I hadn't really told anyone else.I'm pregnant.The main reason my eyes watered in tears back there when we were walking out of the building was when I thought of the chances of losing him and the thought of Madame Browne winning over us.We couldn't allow that, at least not when we have a lot at risk. The wind from the side glasses in the helicopter jostled sharply at me as I pulled closer to Xavier and locked my arms tighter with his.As I did that, I caught the soft whiffs of his cologne in the air. I waited patiently until we finally arrived at the tall towering figure of the mansion. From the top view, I caught the sight of the maids going about doing their respecti
XAVIER'S POV.I could feel their gazes on me.It loomed over me as I strutted into the room with rage boiling in my veins. Despite the fact that I hadn't fully recovered, I had to be there. Ella had done enough for me. All through the weeks of my Coma, she stepped up into a role as demanding as the acting CEO just to secure my spot in all the meeting needed in the meeting. I balled my fists as the rippling sound of gasps braced my ears in an unsolicited welcome.I pushed forward, my feet moving gently as I traced my step into the room with my wife or should I now say, my assistant, strutting beside me. Her arms locked against mine, the soft whiffs of her perfume surging into my nostrils.I brushed off some unseen dusts on my suit as I stared back at the figure of my shocked nemesis. His electrifying green eyes stared back at me as my lips curled into a smile. I dusted off my suit again, giving him the hint that it was the exact one I wore before getting involved in the accident they
XAVIER'S POV Dear reader, I'm just as shocked as you. I couldn't believe I made it. I thought I died but when my eyes fluttered open, it was to the sight of a doctor staring back at me with a shocked look on his face. A gasp rippled through his lips as he stared at me.I stretched my hands to yawn and as I did that, I was repelled by the casts placed over my hands. I look up at the ceiling as I wondered where in god's green earth I was.Most importantly, where was he?Where was the man who was hired by Madame Browne to kill me?The doctor in front of me ran out of the room and raced out like he had seen a demon. I yawned and raced my back a little. I searched the entire room with my gaze and I immediately remembered where I was.This was an hospital.It was obvious.The ridiculously big machines surrounding me and the wires fixed to me. I arched my brow as I tugged off the wires and stepped out of the bed. As my feet touched the base of the floor, I was about to crash into it when I
ELLA'S POV The next few weeks blurred by and I had to go to over many meetings. It was stressful but I did it anyways. I didn't have a choice. I had to hold down the position for Xavier.Speaking of Xavier, I'm sure you're curious as to what happened to him. I'll be your host. After the surgery which he survived, he was placed on a cast and was in a comma for a few days.My heart still shook in my chest whenever I thought of him. I shook my head as I tried to take it off my mind. That particular morning, I had to go drop off Ivy at her school when Alex, Jason's assistant called me.“Mrs Ella… we need you at the office immediately. There is another meeting.” His voice beamed and I threw my fists in the air out of frustration. A cloud of sweats formed on my forehead and I wiped them off with some rolling down my face.“Here’s your backpack Ivy.” I said and gave Ivy her backpack. “Madeline, we will be going now. Thanks for breakfast it was delicious as always.” I remarked and even befo
ELLA'S POV “We're here, Ma'am!” The hushed voice of the driver pulled me out of my train of thoughts and as I pulled out of thoughts, I flashed my gaze at the figure beside me. Penny's eyes loomed brightly with concern as she gripped my hands and asked, “Do you want me to come in with you?”A weary smile tugged at my lips as my voice creaked out, “No… I'll do just fine Madame Browne has nothing on me.”I saw her lips pull open as if aiming at saying something else but before she could even muster up enough words, I interrupted, “Driver, you can take Penny back to her apartment.” The driver nodded and I pulled my hands from Penny's loosening grip as I stared back into her sad eyes. “Ella, are you sure?” She slurred her words and they shook several waves of fear down my spine. As her words loomed into the air, I felt a stifling wave of fear log into my chest as I pressed my lips into a tight smile. I nodded slowly, clenching my jaw as I assured her. After our little conversation, I
ELLA'S POV When my eyelids fluttered open, it was to a sight I would forever loathe. He was there. Right there. Lifeless and clinging to the frayed edges of life.He was laid lifelessly on the bed with a wave of wires fixed into his body. I still couldn't believe this was the same mine who made love to me earlier today. Xavier. I remembered the soft, pleasing sound of his voice and the sweet promises he made to me. I remembered how he chuckled at the mention of revealing who Madame Browne and Lucas really were to the media.A stinging sensation prickled my vision as tears filled my eyes. I wiped it off immediately, forcing my eyes to blink quickly to hold back the tears. I had to be strong… at least for him and for my daughter, Ivy.It would break him to see me cry if he was conscious but sadly, he was on the edge of something I hoped wasn’t death.He was still in that hospital gown, his eyes closed, his gaze nowhere to be found. A plunging pain wrecked through me as I heard the un