Vivian’s POVI walked briskly to work, more pissed than I had been when I left Dan’s apartment. How dare Syrus insinuate that I was a loosed woman? He would never see me as anyone else other than what he thinks of me, and it made my stomach churn in annoyance. Every time I thought I could tolerate the excesses of Syrus, he just went ahead and exceeded my expectations.I got to work way earlier than I used to and I stopped short when I saw Manny standing outside, waiting for me.I sighed and walked up to him after I had gotten over the shock of seeing him there. “Don’t tell me you are also here to scold me,” I said to Manny.“We have been worried about you,” he said instead, ignoring my earlier statement.By ‘we’, I knew Ted was not included, but I let it slide. Manny had a worried expression on his face and it made me worried as well.“Is everything okay?” I asked.“Is it okay to talk here?” Manny asked me.We were still standing outside the office and in a few minutes time, staff wou
Vivian’s POV“What are you talking about?!” I asked Manny, my voice shaking with fear and dread. I just knew that for Manny to be like this, something was awfully wrong. He always knew how to hold things together, and with Manny around, we were barely worried about anything, but as he sat across from me, he looked dejected and shaken, and he looked dreadfully scared out of his mind.Manny shook his head.“Please, Manny, I know you all always wanted to protect me while going up, which was why you all kept some sensitive details away from me, but I am a grown woman now. In a few months, I would even be a mother, so you have to tell me what is going on,” I urged Manny.“Dad wants to protect your emotions at all cost. He doesn’t want you in the know, or according to him, he does not want you worrying your pretty little head about our mess,”“Look at me, Manny, I am not a freaking baby!” I said, my voice rising uncomfortably loud and drawing the attention of the workers who were setting t
Vivian’s POVManny and I just looked at each other, unable to speak.I was stupefied. My head was spinning and my world was going round. What on earth is Manny talking about?“He is very dangerous, Vivian, and until his money is paid in full, Ted is doomed,” Manny was the first to recover his voice. “There is a whole lot of issues going on that you never knew, Vivian, but now is a lot worse, because Ted is on the run from this bad man,” Manny said sadly.“Oh my goodness, I had no idea. I am so sorry that I have been unavailable all this time,” I apologized with tears streaming down my cheeks. I knew that they would probably have hidden it from me like they always did, but then again, if I hadn’t chosen Syrus, then dad would never have suffered a heart attack, and Ted would never have involved himself in something as terrible as this.The whole thing sounded so unreal and deadly to me, because the Ted I knew growing up with was a good boy that stayed out of trouble. The one person I kn
Vivian’s POVI thought my world would come crashing down instantly. Dan refused to look at me, which even made the situation a more confusing one for me, because I did not understand what was going on. That morning, we had talked, and even laughed about the headlines.So what went wrong?As I walked out of the office, I decided to take a walk instead of taking a bus; I didn’t have a place to go to even begin with. Belinda was still out of town and Ted was still upset with me. I tried to call Manny, but his number went to voicemail.“Shit!” I cursed. “Things just keeps getting worse for me,” I said sadly.As I walked slowly through the city on the pedestrian road, my mind kept going towards different directions in thoughts, not particularly settling on any thought, but aside my present predicament, one of the things that bothered me was Ted’s issues. I know Manny’s explanation about the whole situation was minor, compared to what was actually going on. They were always hidings things f
Syrus’s POVSyrus paced about angrily. He removed his tie and flung it across his office, angry and frustrated. The media was going wild with all sorts of comments about the headline that popped up that morning. What even annoyed Syrus was the fact that Vivian did not bother to deny the fact.Syrus could recall vividly the happy look on the man’s face when he had answered his door bell; it was the look of a man who had had a wonderful night.“She divorced me only to be screwing her fucking manager who cannot even measure up to me!” Syrus bellowed to no one in particular.The man was nowhere close to Syrus in wealth, fame, and looks, yet, Vivian had chosen to humiliate him with such a man.“She asked for a divorce, and I granted it to her. She dragged me to court on account of seeing me with Georgia, and I freaking paid for that. I have been up and doing in the antenatal process of our babies, but none of that is sufficient for Vivian,” Syrus said to himself angrily.His anger was boil
Vivian’s POV“You have to tell me where you are headed, ma’am,” the cab driver said. He was growing annoyed and impatient, because for fifteen minutes now, I have been unable to tell him where I would be stopping. He had been acting like a perfect gentleman by not forcing me out of his cab, but I continued to stare at him; I did not have a place to go. Until now, I still hadn’t come up with a solution to my problem of being stranded.“Are you homeless?” He eventually asked.“Yes, I am,” I answered truthfully, tears gathering in my eyes.This was the worst situation I had ever been in, and it made me ashamed and lonely. Never in my entire existence did I ever think that I would be this stranded.“That is so sad,” the driver said sympathetically, “But you do know that you cannot remain in my cab, right? I have to go to work. I have a family to feed and take care of,” he said.He was right; making him suffer with me was not fair. “I am sorry,” I said and opened the door to get out of h
Georgia’s POVGeorgia waited for her guest in the private lounge that she had booked. She was patient, because she was extremely happy and satisfied. While waiting, Georgia her best cocktail in celebration. She always knew she was a smart genius who could pull anything off, and this was just a proof of it.Very soon, Syrus would be hers permanently.She was yet to get Syrus back to her bed so that she could fake a pregnancy story, but as long as Vivian was out of the way, every other thing would be easy. As she told Syrus, making a press release would turn the business blogs to his favor, and it did. Georgia had never seen Syrus so relieved and happy. She had thought of seizing the moment to push the plans through, but Syrus had gotten an instant call from one of the companies that had pulled out as a result of the scandal, and he had had to go and attend to them.“Soon, Syrus Vale,” Georgia said to herself as she sipped her cocktail and waited for her guest. In fact, for doing such
Georgia’s POV“Would you like what I am having as well? It is the best cocktail you can find anywhere,” Georgia said to Jessica, referring to the almost empty glass of cocktail.“I wouldn’t mind,” Jessica smiled shyly. She was still awe-struck by Georgia, so much so that she was willing to play Georgia’s pet. Georgia rang for the waitress to get Jessica a glass of cocktail, and she also ordered another glass for herself. From the corner of her eyes, Georgia could see Jessica stealing glances at her, admiration and happiness in her eyes.Georgia remembered when she had spent the entire night after the horrible episode with her mother; it always happened that Georgia always spent sleepless nights strategizing about her next move, and that was when the idea came to her.“These girls at Vivian’s place of work are awed by you, so why don’t you use that to your advantage against Vivian?” Georgia had thought.She had made some quick and easy findings about them and had paid Jessica a visit.
Vivian’s POV“Today, we have gathered in holy matrimony to join two love birds, whose love could not be altered with the wave of time; Marie and Vale,” the priest started beautifully.I couldn’t stop smiling as I watched Marie and Mr. Vale, dressed to perfection: Marie in a white flowery down and Mr. Vale in black pair suits. Nancy wasn’t present, because she wasn’t invited, which was understandably so, even though they had all resolved things amicably. However, Bonnie, easy to forgive now that her mother had asked her to, was in attendance. Actually, she had flown in some days before, just so that she could have moments with her father too. I noticed that she was nice to me as well, and she even brought gifts for the triplets who would be coming to the world any time soon.Bonnie sat behind Syrus and I, squealing in delight.“This is the most beautiful wedding I have ever attended!” Bonnie whispered happily, but her voice was loud enough for us to hear her.Then Syrus turned to her
Vivian’s POVI sat on the patio just resting and thinking yet again about everything that had happened. This time around, my thoughts weren’t exactly filled with bitterness or anger or sadness. A lot had happened since Diana showed up here and hugged me. She had confessed that she was deeply hurt and begrudged, but after carefully thinking about it, and of course, discussing it with Marie, she had come to the realization that her brother had fooled her for years. While she had struggled and worked hard to achieve everything she had achieved, Leon had chosen to go through the illegal and seemingly wrong path, and she knew that he would have to face the consequences of his actions. Our conversation also brought me to the same resolution with Ted, and the rest of my family.The trial was held about three days ago. I couldn’t attend, because my due date was gradually drawing near, and deep down, I didn’t want to see Ted’s face and break down all over again. The drug lord, his men, along
Vivian’s POVEverything seemed to be happening in such a rush that it was all too much for me to handle. Syrus’s reappearance and his conscious efforts to win back my forgiveness and affection was also overwhelming.He had lived with Mr. Vale and Marie for over a week now, and he had not stopped persisting. Initially, I thought that he would have given up and run back to his company as he always did, but he hadn’t…yet. Syrus kept trying by words and in actions to prove that he was truly sorry, and I maintained the cold shoulders I gave to him, but still, he refused to relent. Syrus had been ordering flowers and notes for me every single day without fail. According to him, he wasn’t trying to buy my love and forgiveness with gifts, because he knew that I wasn’t that kind of woman, but flowers only indicated his genuineness and love for me, which was even why he wasn’t including any other gift. Also, his determination to restore his broken relationship with his father was evident, and
Syrus’s POVSyrus discovered that his father’s house was not as big as the mansion he grew up in, but it was a very homely and cozy bungalow. The moment he entered, he felt more at home and at peace more than he had ever been.“I will show you to your room,” Marie told Syrus as she led him to a room beside the room that Vivian was staying in.When they got into the room, Syrus was impressed at the neatness and warmth of the room.“Thank you, Marie,” Syrus told her deeply.“I am going to make some pasta and we will all eat at the dining table, so use this chance to rest and freshen up,” Marie said politely.She was about leaving when Syrus stopped her. “Do you think she will ever forgive me and talk to me?” Syrus asked.After he had made himself known as the extra traveller, he noticed that Vivian went cold. She had vehemently refused to share a seat with Syrus in the plane even though Mr. Vale had intentionally arranged the ticket in that format. Syrus could not deny that the hostili
Vivian’s POVBelinda and I hurried to the airport, because after all she had told me, I was afraid that Georgia might somehow know that I was in the city, and she would find a way to hurt me. I was heavily pregnant now, and if anything happened, I did not even have the strength to fight or defend myself.“I will come with you and wait for your employers until they get here. If anything were to happen, I don’t want you to ever have to face her alone,” Belinda said firmly when I tried to dissuade her from going with me to the airport.It wasn’t until we got to the airport safely that I became less worried. Also, even though I had wanted Belinda to return to her apartment initially, I was very grateful to have her here with me. We were able to get a safe place to sit and wait where the cops were always watching and patrolling about.“Do you want me to get you anything from the cafeteria?” Belinda asked when she noticed how weak and tired I was after we sat down.“No, I am fine. I was jus
Syrus’s POVSyrus drove home like a lunatic. He could barely wait to confront his mother for everything he just heard. His entire being was boiling with anger and rage.For years, his mother had lied to both him and Bonnie, and she had made them hate their father unjustly. More so, they had grown up without their father’s love and affection all because of her selfish and greedy desires! His mother was just as cruel and cunning as Georgia; there was literally no difference between them, and now, Syrus understood why she chose Georgia over Vivian. For all Syrus knew, evil always aligned with evil.“Damn, I have been such a fool to let Georgia, my mother, and the company come in between what Vivian and I shared,” Syrus said to himself painfully and regrettably.He wanted exactly what he saw between his father and Marie; love, loyalty, friendship, and companionship, and he did not want to enjoy that only when he was old. He had all that with Vivian, but he had ruined it. To Syrus, he beli
Georgia’s POVGeorgia was frantic. Things were getting out of hand. Syrus had been unreachable for hours since today, and she did not know what to do.“I cannot lose,” Georgia told herself as she paced about in her apartment. She had come too far to lose. She had done too much to lose now.“What do I do? I can’t let Syrus win over me,” Georgia said.As she was pacing about and thinking, Ken knocked on her door. Georgia answered it, but she was irritated. Ken was gradually becoming a nuisance to her; why would he keep showing up at her apartment?“You can’t just come in here whenever you like, Ken,” Georgia berated him.He hardly even gave her enough time to think things through and decide on what she wanted to do. “Why not?” Ken asked, making Georgia more disgusted. “We are a bound team now, remember?” Ken said.“You have your apartment, and I have mine. Stay at yours unless it is exceptionally necessary for crying out loud,” Georgia told Ken.She did not even bother masking her ann
Syrus’s POVAll these years, Syrus had felt horribly sorry for his mother, being that he felt that she was unjustly abandoned, but from what Vale said, it meant that his mother swindled and manipulated her way into his life.Syrus shook his head; he did not want to believe that about the woman he had loved, adored, and respected all his life.“That cannot be true,” Syrus argued.“Do you think that after all these years I would lie to you?” Vale asked. “The years I spent being married to Nancy were the worst years of my life. I tried to love her, but I just couldn’t. She knew I was in love with someone else. She knew that I would never love her, but she refused to let me go. I know that you might not like the sound of this, but I went as far as taking a secret DNA test on you, because I wanted to find every reason to leave,” Vale said as tears streamed down his face in sadness and regret.Syrus’s heart was shattered beyond words. He had no idea that the story between his parents was de
Syrus’s POVSyrus walked over to where Mr. Vale sat solemnly, backing him. Marie stood behind Syrus, urging him to go to Mr. Vale.People had left the cemetery now, and they had all moved to Anderson’s house, or most of them, for the next batch of the funeral celebration. Syrus’s plan had been to pay his last respect here at the cemetery, then he would return home, but everything changed, including his plans. More so, Syrus could not believe that he let his father’s mistress, the woman he hated so much talk him into listening to Mr. Vale, something he had equally vowed that he would never do. Syrus swallowed hard, the words finding it difficult to come out from his throat. “Vale?” Marie called softly, since Syrus was taking too much time in talking, and with how sad Vale was, he was not likely going to turn around even in the next one hour.“I was counting on this opportunity, Marie, and I have lost it,” Vale said, his voice dripping with sadness and regret.Marie knew that if truly