SLYVIA'S POV After Beverly and I finished our pool game, we headed back to our seats, feeling a bit more relaxed and lighter from the dancing and chatting. The bar had started to quiet down a little, making it easier to have a conversation. Beverly looked at me with concern. "So, how's the case going, Slyvia? Any progress?" I sighed, taking a sip of my drink before answering. "It's going the best it can, given the circumstances. We're gathering evidence, but it isn't much. It feels like we're grasping at straws sometimes." Beverly reached over and squeezed my hand. "I'm really sorry you're going through all this. It must be so tough." "Don't worry about it, Beverly. It's not your fault," I said, trying to reassure her. "I've learned to take things one step at a time. It’s just... exhausting." She nodded, her eyes full of empathy. "How are the kids holding up with everything?" I smiled weakly. "They're actually handling it better than I expected. They're still so young, too youn
WILLIAM'S POVI drove back home, my nose bleeding all over the leather car seat. The pain was sharp, throbbing in rhythm with my heartbeat. Every bump in the road sent a jolt of agony through my face, and the sight of blood dripping onto the pristine leather only made me angrier."Slyvia, you bitch," I muttered under my breath, gripping the steering wheel tighter. How dare she show up and ruin my night? I slammed my fist against the dashboard, wincing at the pain that shot through my hand.As I drove through the city streets, the neon lights of the nightlife blurred past me. I could feel my anger ragging over, I was humiliated in front of broke ass people who couldn't even afford the shoes I am wearing. This was supposed to be a night of fun, a distraction, but instead, it turned into a nightmare.I thought back to the bar, to Slyvia's defiant face and the way she had called me out. And then there was Beverly, adding fuel to the fire. I couldn't believe how things had escalated so qui
SLYVIA'S POVWith the loud music playing, my phone started to ring. I glanced at the screen and saw Raymond's name flash. "Speak of the devil," I said to Beverly with a smile before answering the call. The noise in the bar made it nearly impossible to hear, so I switched to FaceTime.Raymond's face appeared on the screen, looking sharp in a fancy outfit. "Where are you? The music over there is very loud" Raymond asked me straining his ear."Hey, I went on a girls' night out with a friend," I said, raising my voice slightly to be heard. "This is Beverly," I added, turning the phone to show her."Nice to meet you, Beverly," Raymond said, smiling warmly."You too, Raymond," Beverly replied.I noticed Raymond was dressed in an exceptionally stylish outfit. "Are you at a fashion show?" I asked, curiosity piqued."Yeah, I just finished a show and was heading to my dressing room before I called," Raymond replied.Beverly's eyes lit up with interest. "Which show was it?" she asked."It was fo
SLYVIA'S POVAfter Beverly and I finished our pool game, we headed back to our seats, feeling a bit more relaxed and lighter from the dancing and chatting. The bar had started to quiet down a little, making it easier to have a conversation.Beverly looked at me with concern. "So, how's the case going, Slyvia? Any progress?"I sighed, taking a sip of my drink before answering. "It's going the best it can, given the circumstances. We're gathering evidence, but it isn't much. It feels like we're grasping at straws sometimes."Beverly reached over and squeezed my hand. "I'm really sorry you're going through all this. It must be so tough.""Don't worry about it, Beverly. It's not your fault," I said, trying to reassure her. "I've learned to take things one step at a time. It’s just... exhausting."She nodded, her eyes full of empathy. "How are the kids holding up with everything?"I smiled weakly. "They're actually handling it better than I expected. They're still so young, too young to fu
GRAY'S POVI stared at the news, my eyes glued to the screen as the images replayed over and over. "What is this?" I whispered, barely able to contain my anger. My grip on the TV remote tightened until my knuckles turned white. Sylvia, my own wife, was there on the screen, entangled with another man. The betrayal hit me like a punch to the gut."Why would she do this to me now, after all the time we have spent growing closer? Look at her, fooling herself with another man, my own wife Sylvia. To think I might actually have started to fall in love with—" I cut myself off, realizing too late that I was speaking my thoughts aloud."I knew it, that Sylvia was up to no good," Jocelia said as she entered the room, her voice dripping with vindication. "She was only here for your money. You need to chase her out, divorce her for embarrassing you and your family." She stepped closer, laying her hands on my chest in a bid to console me.Before I could respond, my phone rang, dragging my thoughts
SLYVIA'S POVI felt my hands shaking as I stared at the papers Gray had just handed me. Divorce papers. My heart sank as the weight of his actions crashed down on me. "Why would you give me this, after... after everything?" I managed to ask, my voice trembling with a mixture of hurt and disbelief and tears streaming down my cheeks.But before Gray could respond, Jocelia came striding towards me, her presence like a storm brewing. She pointed an accusatory finger at me, her words cutting through the silence like knives. "We don't need you here. We don't want you. A stripper like you has no place in this house. Now go away like the vermin you are."I flinched at her words, feeling the sting of her hatred sear through me. It was as if all the years of resentment she had harbored towards me were finally boiling over, unleashed in a torrent of venomous words.And then Alice joined in, her voice dripping with feign disgust as she accused me of the unthinkable. "I know you drugged my boy to
SLYVIA'S POV"And this is why we need to expand," I said, concluding the meeting with my team. "So remember, everyone, I will only be gone for a few days. I trust you can handle the clients until I return with more partners for the expansion of the company."It's been six years. I didn't know how, but I did it. I took the money from the scholarship fund Maxwell had set up for me, finished my education, and started a real estate company focused on affordable housing. Now, we were successful, and with this new initiative, I could reduce homelessness by 30%. It was a dream coming to fruition, and I was proud of what we had achieved.As I walked to my office after the meeting, my assistant, Lisa, approached me with a concerned look on her face. "Ma'am, the babysitter canceled. Something about a family emergency," she said.I sighed, feeling a twinge of frustration, but quickly shifted gears. "You know what, book a flight for the girls too. They’re on holiday anyway, and I don’t have time
SLYVIA'S POVI flew back to Houston in a bid to get away from Gray, the event of last time was still playing over and over again in my head and I don't even know how to approach it, that very morning, my phone buzzed with a call from my assistant, Lisa. "Good morning, Ma'am," she said, her voice bright and chipper."Morning, Lisa," I replied, still feeling the weight of yesterday's encounter with Gray. "What's up?""Great news! We’ve secured a potential partner for our expansion project. They’re very interested in your proposal and want to meet you in the office at 10 AM."I frowned, confused. "I didn’t get a chance to speak to anyone last night. Are you sure about this?""Yes, absolutely. They reached out to us. It’s all set," Lisa confirmed."Alright, I’ll be there," I said, ending the call. My mind was racing. Who could it be? And how did they find out about my proposal?I spent the rest of the morning trying to keep my mind off the upcoming meeting. The girls were my usual distrac