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 I rushed all the way out of the elevator the instant the doors slid open. I bolted into the hallways, pacing towards the stairs. I descended on them roughly, skipping a few as I rushed down.Once I reached the last floor, I sprinted towards the huge double doors that led out of the building. Once I got there, I gripped the door knob and pulled it.It made a low creak as I made my wua towards the parking lot. I couldn't believe I slept past the time and forgot totally about the event that was going to happen at the office today.I was sure the shareholders would already be having second thoughts after seeing that I was late to give my speech. The president had made calls to all the shareholders of his company, both the ones that were in the country and the ones that weren't.They all had to be present and witness the works of the candidates so when it got to picking, it wouldn't look as if there was injustice or any form of cheating. The ones that couldn't make it, sent r
ELLA'S POV The pulsating beats coming in from the speakers make me go wild as I tuned my body's sleek movements in sync with the music. With my hair messed up in what was supposed to be a ponytail, my body covered in a see through gown, I could probably say I had had a pretty great night. I loved the club, the buzz, it's ever pungent smell of sex and alcohol, the drinks. But everything was typical, just like yesterday and the day before. Scrambling my gaze across the usual crowd of clubbers, the series of flashing lights. I noticed something— someone, a man's intriguing figure, sitting at the mini bar. "I see you got your eyes on someone," A voice called out to me as I turned my gaze to the tall redhead lady I knew as my best friend, Maggie. Margaret flashed a weird wink of her eyes, a grin spreaded on her cheeks. "Shut up," I admitted, feeling guilty as we both laughed at each other. "Why not go talk to him," Maggie hollers, her voice calm and cool. My face twisted into a frow
ELLA'S POV "Thank you for dropping her," I murmured drenched in thoughts as I raised my head to see the stranger my daughter had brought home this time. Pulling my gaze past his body, I paused, recognition flashing past my shocked eyes. This was Xavier McKinney, my one night stand, Ivy's father. I couldn't believe my eyes, my jaw falls slightly as the memories of our one night stand rushes into my mind. I couldn't help but feel a flash of emotions from the past years I've been left alone to bear and train Ivy ever since day one. The first was dropping out of school, then loosing matt, my boyfriend at that time to the pregnancy I had with an unknown stranger. I remembered the sleepless night I've spent, cradling my pregnancy wondering how I'd singlehandedly mother a child. Anger kicked in my veins as the memories sank deep. The loneliness I felt when my belly bump began showing while in college and being teased and made fun of. The loneliness still crept deep, the night I'd del
XAVIER'S POV "Thank goodness you're here sir," I heard a call as I alighted the car closing the door gently behind me. Turning to face Alex, I rushed past him into the hospital where my father was being taken care of.Running past the security men at the hospital, I hurried for the counter. Arriving there, I turned to the nurse at the counter and blurted, "Excuse me nurse, which room was my father kept?""Oh, Mr Xavier, good to see you again..." She bickered licking her lips seductively while staring hungrily at me. "Can you shut the fu*k up and tell me what room my father is in."Shaken by my sudden yell and the stares she got, I watched as the nurse hurried with the files on the counter. "He is in the platinum vip treatment room at the top floor."Hearing her words, I walked over to the elevator, waiting as it's doors finally chimed open and I entered. Tapping the numbers of the floor I was headed, I waited patiently as the elevator, paused, the doors opening as someone else got in
ELLA'S POV "I have to leave," I uttered, wiping some strands of my hair to a side as I made my way out of the elevator. In a fit of rush, my bag fell and all my documents were all littered to the elevator floor. Bending to pick it up, I hurriedly packed up the few documents my hands could reach and immediately dashed out of the elevator before Xavier could call me. Just as I stepped out, I heard the soft chim of the elevator as I heaved out. Wiping off the beads of sweats clouding my forehead, I stood, trying to calm my heart's erratic beating. I was shocked to meet him here again. Was he stalking me? It was now beginning to look mysterious, they way he keeps popping up wherever I go. First was with Ivy, now at my workplace, what next? Was he going to pop back into my life and take over?I felt a whirlwind of emotions as I touched my lips, the memory of our kiss creeping back to me.Shit. How could I be so foolish, to allow him kiss me. Xavier was a flirt, he surely had a way of k
XAVIER'S POV I rushed all the way out of the elevator the instant the doors slid open. I bolted into the hallways, pacing towards the stairs. I descended on them roughly, skipping a few as I rushed down.Once I reached the last floor, I sprinted towards the huge double doors that led out of the building. Once I got there, I gripped the door knob and pulled it.It made a low creak as I made my wua towards the parking lot. I couldn't believe I slept past the time and forgot totally about the event that was going to happen at the office today.I was sure the shareholders would already be having second thoughts after seeing that I was late to give my speech. The president had made calls to all the shareholders of his company, both the ones that were in the country and the ones that weren't.They all had to be present and witness the works of the candidates so when it got to picking, it wouldn't look as if there was injustice or any form of cheating. The ones that couldn't make it, sent r
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
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
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.“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
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 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
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
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