Vivian’s POVI was in the kitchen making lunch when I heard the door open. I smiled as I stirred the pasta; Manny was back in time for lunch as I had just finished the cooking. He had left some hours ago saying he wanted to make a quick stop somewhere and that he would be back soon. Anyway, I decided to make something delicious for him and me, and that was after I had ensured that dad had taken his medication and was resting properly.“In here, Manny!” I called out; there was excitement in my voice, and even I could feel it.The moment a shadow fell on me from the kitchen door, shiver ran through my spine, and fear gripped me; it was Ted, not Manny.“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the jolly little sister of the family,” Ted sneered.I felt the heat of his words on my skin and my heart began to race faster. Then I managed to turn, but it did not prepare me for the rage and bitterness that I saw in Ted’s eyes.“Why did you come back?” Ted asked angrily and bitterly.I swallowed hard, try
Vivian’s POVI could not believe what Ted just told me. My knees became weak and almost gave way, but I found a way to stop myself by gripping the kitchen counter firmly.Ted noticed it and smiled mischievously. “You had no clue, right?” He sneered. “Aw, poor Vivian who thought she was the golden little family princess,” Ted mocked clearly. “We are broke and there is no inheritance anywhere, so I hope you get out of your delusion and realize that nothing is as you see or think in this family,” Ted’s voice was firm and venomous, as though he wanted his words to eat deep into me.And they did.“Leave her alone,” came Manny’s gruff voice from behind Ted.Apparently, Manny had walked into the house and to the kitchen, but we had been too caught up in our conversation that we did not hear him, and I wondered if he had heard our conversation, or more so, Ted’s gripping words.Ted did not bother turning to Manny, and he did not turn and leave me alone as Manny instructed him. Instead, he wal
Syrus’s POVSyrus paced about the living room boiling with rage. Davis stood close to one of the couches, confused. He did not know whether to sit, although he would very much like to, but then again, he had no idea if it would aggravate Syrus. Syrus had made him come to the house as well after the saga at the office. This was part of the scenarios that Davis always liked to avoid, because in situations like these, especially when he was dealing with a man like Syrus Vale, it would never end up well.Then Nancy sat in the living room, her expression unreadable as she watched Syrus walk about and boil with rage.“That son of a bloody bastard!” Syrus bellowed. “How dare he? As a result of what he had done, I have lost the one contract that meant the world to me!” Syrus continued to blow hot.Davis was quiet, because he did not know what to say, and at the same time, he did not want to say the wrong things. With how angered Syrus Vale appeared to be, he could fire Davis in a heartbeat,
Georgia’s POVGeorgia’s heart did a flip-flop at Syrus’s declaration; she hadn’t expected him to say what he just said.“Is that the bone of contention now?” Nancy rose to Georgia’s defense.Neither Syrus nor Nancy knew but Georgia had instantly began to shake inside at Syrus’s declaration. She knew that she would have to be prepared, because now that she had placed herself in this position, she would have to go through it till the very end. She could not back out now. She could not risk anyone finding out that she was lying, because not only would it affect her career, the Vale family would never have anything to do with her. That would be two losses, and she could not afford that.“Mum, please stay out of this,” Syrus said angrily.His words seemed to have gotten Nancy more upset as she leaped to her feet in a fit of rage.“I have stayed out of your life way too long and that is why we are in this mess in the first place!” Nancy blew hot.“What are you talking about?” Syrus asked.G
Vivian’s POV“Hi, my name is Vivian, and I am here for the interview,” I said to the person I met at the counter with the description I was given.After what I overheard from Manny and Ted, and with the uncertainty of the meaning of their words, I just knew that I couldn’t sit idly by and wait for any of them to sell me off. Hearing that dad had the intention of using me to offset his debt and that Manny and Ted were even in on it shattered my heart. I couldn’t confront Manny about what I overheard, or even force him into explaining what he meant by those words, but the words didn’t sit well with my spirit. I couldn’t ask Dad about it either, because it dawned on me that I had been living a lie for the longest time. I had gone into the storm room and cried regrettably for hours, and after that, I had begun checking sites for jobs online.I spent the entire night looking for urgent recruitments.I knew that I would have to get a job to support myself ahd the triplets when they eventual
Georgia’s POV“I can always get anything I want; I just have to put my mind to it,” Georgia told herself as she made her way to the address that she received in just a couple of hours, and also waited for an important call; it was this call that would aid her to do what she wanted to do without any hitch.In this city, Georgia knew whom to meet for whatever she wanted. Even if she didn’t need to meet anyone, she sure knew how to go about what she wanted.This wasn’t an exception.Every time she had a deep conversation with Nancy, she always ended up knowing what to do. “I will not allow Syrus to play me for a fool,” Georgia told herself with determination as she drew close. She had already prepared herself for what she was going to do, and there was no way she would not achieve her end result today. Georgia’s phone rang, making her sigh in relief.“About time,” Georgia said to herself before taking the call. “I thought you were going to wait,” Georgia said.“You have used our servic
Vivian’s POVTaking the job even without knowing what it entailed aside from the fact that it was in another city and it was a housekeeping job was crazy, but I had no choice.In fact, I think that was what I really needed.I still had some sort of fear and anxiety, especially regarding the fact that the last time I went away, I had gotten myself into a deeper mess that I almost didn’t survive, but from what I was told, this wasn’t another small town, and this couple were not struggling financially, so it wasn’t much of a big deal. I had taken it, and I would still take it, because right now, I just needed to get away from my family, Syrus, and Belinda, because it was as though I was surrounded by people whom I thought I knew but didn’t actually know. This time around however, I had decided to do things differently. So when I arrived at home, I asked to speak with Manny and Dad; Ted wasn’t home again. Ted was another major reason why I just couldn’t continue living here, especially
Vivian’s POVAs the train rode by, I occupied my eyes with the beauty of the city that I was seeing. Not like I hadn’t seen most of them before, but now, I paid attention with the mind to actually enjoy what I was seeing. I had been quiet the entire time, and thankfully, no one sat close to me to even engage in a chatter. I wasn’t even feeling up to it in the first place. My heart and mind were numb and shut down, and I really wanted it to be so before I reached my destination.Syrus didn’t choose me, again.I decided not to think about his rejection so that I wouldn’t cry or feel horrible about myself.“He didn’t choose you, Vivian. You have to pick yourself up and move on,” I had told myself minutes before the train arrived.The next city where I would be meeting with my new employers was just about an hour away, so I had little time to dwell on my predicament.I was all alone now.I knew that I would feel the pain of his stark rejection, but not now. Right now, I just wanted to begi
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