ELLA'S POV “Are you coming with us?” My lips pulled apart as I darted my gaze in her direction. The maid behind stepped closer to us as I waited patiently for her response. From what I saw, it was vividly tell she was debating my words.In her eyes, I caught the embers of hesitation and fear. “We'll be there together Madison.” I assured as I stretched my fingers and gripped her shoulders. I bit hard into my lower lip as anxiety pulsed through my veins. I wasn't sure why she was taking longer than expected to give me a response but I clearly see that she was scared. Her eyes widened and I noticed the chills that seemed to lash down her back whenever she tried to speak.“Madison?” I called her name one last time as I raised my gaze to meet the widened eyes of Madison. Her eyes lit up as she nodded in agreement and immediately replied me, “Yes, after much contemplation, I have decided that I can't stay here any longer. I am ready to return to the McKinney mansion but this time, I'll s
ELLA'S POV “The plan is simple, I want each and every one of you to support me in bringing Madame Browne and Rochelle down. Rochelle is telling lies and her claims to being my husband's concubine are all lies. She has a fake belly bump and I need your help in proving that.” I beamed and the maids all turned to each other in confusion.“Yes. I understand you're all shocked that I don't have much time. This is a picture of a fake belly bump.” I continued as I brought out my phone and searched for a fake belly bump picture on my phone's browser.Once it was fully loaded, I passed my phone to one of the maids to pass it over to the rest of them. Sitting back in the chair Madeline gave me, I watched as they all passed my phone around until it was given back to me.When I received it, it was on shaky fingers as I clutched my chest in an aim to steady the heavy beatings in my chest. One of the maids rushed to the side of the room and came back running towards me with a glass of water in her
ELLA'S POV “One…” I drawled as I pushed the door open. It creaked open almost immediately and I was met by the sight of Cassandra standing there beside the president.The president was neatly tucked in on the bed, his lean body figure laid to sleep. From the soft sound of his snores, it was evident he was having a good sleep. Describing this scene should've been innocent if not that she was in the room.Cassandra.She stood dangerously close to him and in the corner of my eyes, I caught sight of the syringe I saw her holding in the hallway. The instant she saw me, her eyes lit up and in the blink of my eyes, the syringe I could've sworn I saw with her disappeared.I arched my brows in confusion as I clutched my chin, “W… where is it?” my lips quivered as the words skittered out.She raised her brow at me with suspicion laced in her eyes, “What did you mean Mrs Ella?” Her lips pulled into a welcoming smile that sent a wave of chills down my spine as I tucked my arms around each other
ELLA'S POV “We're back, the cameras have been set. I set one behind the rose bouquet we kept there and I know it will capture her quicker than we expect.”I tilted my head in the direction of the door as I caught the two figures of the maids as they strutted back into the room. I could already sense their eagerness from a mile away, it whiffed over me and so did that of the other maids lined up behind me.I could hear each and every one of the ragged gasps as I my fingers inched closer to the keyboard.I wasn't sure whether it was the tension in the room or the unsettling sensation in my veins but I couldn't help be restless. I tried to shake it off but I failed woefully.My fingers tapped over the keys and as the soft cold bracing the keys tinged against my fingertips, I felt a cold chill run down my veins. "Were you able to fix the camera chips in the right places?" I quirked my brows as I asked them. The maids who I gave the chips turned at me and strutted closer to me. I tighten
ELLA'S POV The doctor's words echoed repeatedly against the inner walls of my ears as I clutched them hoping the haunting melody in my ears would stop. Like a shadow, it clung to me, playing repeatedly as tears stung my eyes.I blinked, batting my lashes as I held back the tears gathering in my eyes. When the elevator door chimed open, I leapt forward on jelly legs. The strength in my legs vanished, fading rapidly by seismic waves of shock rolling through my veins.I still couldn't believe it. Xavier was in the hospital fighting for his life.I talked to him this morning. We made love today. No. My eyes watered as I trailed towards the staircase with staggering strides. I dragged my foot into the hallway, my heart pounding heavily in my chest.The dim lighting in the room darkened as I blinked off another wad of tears, leaving the drops to trace a burning line against my cheeks. I felt numb, my body was weak and with each staggering stride I took, I could feel the life in my vein d
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
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 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
MADAME BROWNE'S POVWhile in my unconscious state, I felt darkness wrap around me. I saw, felt and even heard nothing. Nothing other than that ding. With each time it came, I writhed, twisted and strived to get it to stop. I was sick and tired of it and to make matters worse, I was beginning to get scared to my wits as questions pulsed through my mind. Did I die? Was this all another version of hell? I was expecting an erupting volcano, heat and a little bit of fire but all I saw was darkness. Thick, dark darkness. I was about to ponder on a question when I heard a ding. I tried to move but my body wouldn't budge.I tried again and then again but with each trial, I drew closer to the realization that maybe I had died. I mean my body wasn't going to move anymore and the signs were beginning to police together.I was about to accept the finalisation of my current dilemma when all of a sudden, I felt the elevator shake. Panic surged through me and in a fit of fear and confusion, I trie
MR MCKINNEY'S POV If you are reading this now, you must've thought Madame Browne had died. Well, I wished she was dead too but not all of our wishes came true and the acceptance of the fact was the beginning of maturity.Don't be discouraged yet. There was still a lot of things coming for her that she just didn't know yet. You see, when I planned on getting someone to do something, I made sure to leave no stones untouched. Right now, I was seated on my chair with my arm crossed and my eyes fixed on the tablet in front of me. Right there on the screen was Madame Browne, fallen and weak with sharp fearful gasps rolling out of her lips.She was afraid.Don't get me wrong this was the only time I'd seen her this shaken to fear. Her hair which you'd expect tostull be tied up in some fancy bun was now let down in rough, messy strands that draped down to her back. She was currently trying to block the dings I was letting off stop but little did she know that I, Mr McKinney, was the one beh
MADAME BROWNE'S POVThe entire walk from my room down to the elevator was long because most of the minutes were spent pondering on the invite. I bit my fingers slowly as fear pulsed throughout me in sharp jolts. The guard who was sent to call me over there led the way since I was too shaken with suspicion and fear to go alone. As I followed his lead, I still couldn't let out the gleams of suspicion that clawed at my chest.Something was in the hallway. Something was watching over me, judging maybe even cackling as I made my way to the elevator with my steps as soft as feathers. The guards' back figure filled me with relief as I rubbed my chest and sighed.Several droplets of sweat trickled down my forehead as I paused and watched as he jabbed his fingers against the controls. The buttons by the elevator beeped countlessly for a long period of seconds but the doors didn't open.It was as if someone was in it but if that were to be the case at hand, the indicator had to be flashing red
MADAME BROWNE'S POV As I stepped out of the car, the cold wind justled several strands of my hair into the air as I struggled to keep my strands down. My fingers brushed off some blocking strands as I paced towards the door leading into the mansion. Two guards stood by it with firm frowns on their faces. “Thank you.” I muttered out loud to the driver who was probably engulfed in something else to respond. I made my way to the door and as I approached it, the drivers standing by it, pulled it open as I stepped into the mansion. I walked into the mansion and walked directly to the staircase. I made sure no one was watching before I placed silent steps up the stairs. The overhead lights in the room flickered brightly as I traced my steps up it. It didn't take long for me to arrive at the hallway leading into the elevator. I tapped on the buttons and as the door chimed open, I locked my arms and inhaled deeply as I waited for the ride to come to an end. My body was aching so much I n
MR MCKINNEY'S POV I stayed at alert all through the time the guards informed me she had stepped out of the mansion down till the car that drove her out veered into the mansion. My eyes widened almost immediately as my fingers roved over to the window panes as I adjusted to me to get a clearer view of the car.Just as it parked safely in the parking lot, the door to the room pulled open and as the cracks it made slashed through the silence in the air, I paused then flashed my gaze in the direction. I tilted my head and I met the blank faces of the two security guards I gave the task of relaying every update on Madame Browne's movements to me. The golden brown lighting in the room buzzed over their cold features as one of them stepped forward. “She's here, sir.” he mumbled coldly and just then, I heard a sound. It wasn't from the room but from the parking lot.If I heard it correctly, it was the sound of her driver's voice. I wasn't able to catch the exact line of words he used but I
LUCAS'S POV The moment Madame Browne stepped foot out into the restaurant, I felt my heart thump heavily in my chest. A cold shiver trudged down my spine as a sensation sprouted within me. I didn't know how to explain it but it was there. Blossoming. Growing. With my gaze fixed on her figure, I carelessly grabbed a bottle of wine and raised it to my lips. The sour taste of grapes washed down my throat as I stared back at her. She was pacing towards the table in a black dinner gown that wasn't too flashy but still blended in with the people in the bar.They all seemed discreet enough to not even flash a glance at us. Everyone had their attention fixed on the people they came to meet and nothing else. No stolen glances, no glaring eyes… nothing. It felt like we were all alone.I had to give accolades to my assistant. She really did know what her job entailed and delivered effortlessly. My fingers curled around the wine glass as I placed it back on the table and for a split second, sho
MADAME BROWNE'S POV AN HOUR EARLIERAfter the call with Lucas, he passed the phone over to his assistant who I surprisingly caught up well with and as he did, her voice blared out. “You can come over. I've fixed a dinner reservation for you and him to talk it all out and figure out the next step to take.”I nodded softly as I asked, “What time is that going to be in?”Her reply came in quicker than I was expecting. “In about twenty minutes from now, I'll send you the address.”Just as she said that, my phone buzzed in my grip and as I paused talking just to glance at my screen, a pop-up message from her number came up. I read the letters on the card slowly and after reading it, I replied her softly. “Okay. I'll be out in a bit, it actually isn't that far from the mansion.” I uttered the words and as I finished, I ended the call and raced over to my wardrobe where I picked the first dress I saw and zipped it down as I stepped into it. Pulling the gown back up, I ran my fingers over t
MR MCKINNEY'S POVI shouldn't have chased him away. He wasn't wrong but I just couldn't stand seeing him like that. For the first time in the entire decades I'd spent raising him, my little boy was making his stand and as much as I wanted to let him flap his wings I couldn't let him go out there and lose his life to Lucas.I knew who he really was and how dangerous he was and having him contend with Xavier would crush me. Lucas could have him killed within the blink of an eye and I'd lose the one thing I promised myself I'd watch over. Just if you weren't aware, I made a promise to myself after the death of his parents to take care of him and shield him from any form of harm and now…I guess he'd outgrown my tactics buti just couldn't let him out of my grasp. At least not now. Not when everything was a standstill and each and every move we made was being closely watched by him. Lucas.My heart palpited in my chest as I watched him turn his back and leave. A part of me wanted to hold h
XAVIER'S POV As the words rolled off my tongue, the look on the president's face changed almost immediately. His eyes darkened and his expression turned cold as he tilted his head downwards. Confusion washed into my veins as I arched a brow and paced towards his chair.Did I say something wrong?If there was anything wrong with all that was happening now, it was his reaction. Why was he acting like that? Did I offend him? I inspected him with a steady gaze as my heart thumped ruthlessly against its ribcage. With each step I took towards him, fear growled at the pit of my chest “Grandpa?” I stuttered as I stretched my fingers to reach for his shoulders but before I could do that, his head snapped up and his gaze snapped in my direction. Cold droplets of sweat clung to my forehand as his head jolted up and his gaze raked mine. My breath hitched almost immediately. My fingers quivered as I clutched them tightly into a head fists. Several lumps of fear logged in my chest and as they l