Syrus’s POVSyrus went back to his office, leaving strict warnings to his secretary not to let anyone into his office.Then Syrus soaked himself in grief.Vivian’s father had hit him where it hurt the most. Syrus remembered the first time he had realized his father’s absence; he had eavesdropped on his parent’s argument without his knowledge.“Are you going to keep doing this?! What about Syrus and Bonnie? How do I keep making excuses for you?!” Nancy had yelled at Syrus’s extremely absent father.Growing up, Syrus had barely seen his father. He and Bonnie only saw him once a year, or twice if he was being generous to them. “I don’t care what you want to tell them, Nancy!” His father had bellowed angrily.Syrus had been shocked and hurt. Their mother had told them constantly that their father could not attend their school parties, prom, school games, birthdays, because he was extremely busy with building the company, and she had made them understand that it was necessary that their f
Vivian’s POVAs I sat across from Ken on the table, I asked myself how I got entangled in all of these.“Would you like some cheese and eggs?” Ken asked with a smile. “They are definitely good for you, especially for the babies,” Ken said, and without waiting for my response, he turned to the waitress standing by and said, “Kindly get two plates of cheese and eggs, and lukewarm glasses of water for us.”“Coming right up,” she said and left.Ken turned to me. “Does she remind you of Jane?” He asked.I shook my head, unwilling to indulge in the conversation. The last thing I wanted was to be here with Doctor Ken, having lunch. Surprisingly, Lori had come to me with a flowing gown that had rose petals all over, and yapping about Ken, her cousin.“I am so delighted that Ken seems to have developed some sort of interest in you,” Lori had said as she pushed the dress gently to me. “He has been way too single for long, and that needs to change,” she had said with a girly giggle. It was the f
Vivian’s POVIt was as though I was dreaming, because what kind of conversation was I having with my supposed doctor? How did I get into this mess? I definitely did not do anything to deserve this! All I had done had been to get registered just like every other pregnant woman, so this just doesn’t make any sense to me.“What do you know about me?” I asked, my heart beating rapidly. Somehow, I was scared of what Ken would say. I know I had met a couple of tricky and bad people; Georgia was one of them, but this was on a different level, and to think that I just walked right into it.“I know that you are the ex-wife of Syrus Vale, who is still very much alive,” Ken divulged.My mouth fell open in shock.“How did you know?” I asked Ken, shocked to my very core. This was a random meeting, not planned, right? Lori could not have set me up like this. She did not strike me as someone who was capable of doing such, besides, she had given me a harmless recommendation, so how did Ken know? “I
Georgia’s POVGeorgia waited for Jessica to arrive before she would leave for her interview. It was in two hour’s time, and if Jessica made it to her hotel room in time, then she would be able to meet up with her appointment.Georgia had been staying in the hotel discreetly since she left Syrus’s house. She did not want to return to her aggrieved and bitter mother, because she knew that somehow, her mother would know that her ploy to get Syrus in bed again was futile.But thankfully, she had Syrus’s mother’s so she really does not need her mother’s negative energy. However, Georgia was gradually running low on cash.“Thank goodness for this interview that I have been able to secure,” Georgia told herself. This was a big show, and after she was done, she would be paid a handsome fee; that was what basically excited Georgia, not that she gave a damn about the bloody show. Once she gets her fee, she would be able to pay for a few more days at the hotel, while she also lobbied for anothe
Vivian’s POVI returned to the room restless, agitated, and more disoriented.I thought of avoiding Ken, but I could only achieve that when I leave the town, and that would be highly impossible seeing that Jane’s death is still under thorough investigation.I was desperate to know how Ken got to find out secrets about me, because he refused to divulge. I wasn’t even answering Syrus’s name, so did his investigation lead him to Syrus? There were questions running through my head that I needed answers to. Questions like why did Ken pick me out of all his patients to get close to. He was an attractive, good-looking young man who could get any woman he wanted, so why me, a pregnant, lonely woman who waits tables at a small coffee shop?I left my room and went over to the coffee shop. Deep down, I had the feeling that Lori was involved in all of these. Deep down, I knew that Lori knew something, because she was the one who directed me to her so-called cousin’s hospital. She had also been th
Georgia’s POVGeorgia paced around her hotel room as she dialed Syrus’s cell number over and over again. She needed to do something really fast, otherwise this juicy deal would slip through her fingers, and on the other hand, if she is dropped by the show, the whole world would know, and it would be disastrous for her.“Pick your damn phone, Syrus!” Georgia yelled in frustration, almost smashing her phone on the wall. She was growing increasingly frustrated, because she had little or no time. If she could not get Syrus to join her in the interview as her partner, just as she had labeled him to be, then she would be dropped like a piece of old meat.And if that happens, Georgia’s career, the same one she had built with blood and sweat would take a downward turn, and that would be the end of her, and her godforsaken mother would laugh her to ruin.Georgia would rather die than let that happen,She continued to dial Syrus’s number. “Please, Syrus, pick up the phone!” Georgia begged eve
Georgia’s POV“Excuse me, but my money only expired a few hours ago,” Georgia said, her heart pounding slightly.This was obviously not good at all, because she did not have a dime with her, and this could get dirty if it ever gets out.“According to the policy of our hotel, you are either to renew payment or face eviction thirty minutes after expiry, and Miss Georgia, you have way exceeded that limit,” one of them said.“Can you give me a couple of minutes? I promise to pay up,” Georgia pleaded, even though she did not have anyone in mind that would give her any money, but she just needed them to give her some space so that she could think and act fast.This was certainly not good for her career.If Georgia knew that they upheld such a strict policy, she would not have lodged here in the first place. When Georgia moved into the hotel some days back, and she had been given their policy booklet to read, she had only flipped through without actually reading it, because she had felt that
Georgia’s POV“Ma’am, you need to leave the premises,” one of the hotel managers said, bringing Georgia out of her thoughts.She really had to do something, and she was trying to think of what to do really fast, because these people were not bluffing, and they might throw her out at any moment. Should Georgia go out there like this, the bloggers would eat her up mercilessly.“Ugh, my head!” Georgia threw her hand to her head, feigning a migraine.“What is it?” One of the managers asked, concern masking his voice. “Is everything okay?”Instead of answering, Georgia acted as though she was suffering from dizziness as a result of the migraine and she staggered backwards, almost collapsing to the ground, but one of the security guards swung into action immediately. He grabbed Georgia gently before she could fall to the ground and led her to the couch at the reception.“Get her some painkillers and water!” One of the hotel managers barked.The others dispersed immediately, rushing to get
Syrus’s POV“I have been asking you if you have anything to say to me, but you keep evading the question,” Nancy said as she stood in Syrus’s bedroom. Bonnie was also present.Syrus felt like a piece of shit, because of the news that was flying around on the internet. He should have known that confrontation with a man like Ken alone was a bad idea, but then again, no one knew this part of Syrus’s life. Even Vivian who almost got to know, Syrus managed to keep her in the dark, but now, things were slowly getting out of hand. Ken had been so good and smart with what he was doing that he ensured that his face was faced out of the camera. The only person the world could see was Syrus, and of course, to them, he was trying to kill an innocent citizen simply because he was wealthy and powerful. Syrus had stayed holed up in the house, because right now, he could not bear to face the judgmental faces of everyone that knew him, including the colleagues that he hired himself.“What the heck
Vivian’s POVThe revelation I got from Leon still had me reeling with shock. Hearing that Dad had used up our inheritance and wanted to give me out in a contract marriage to pay off his debt, I had thought that that was the height of betrayal from my family members, but this was worse than I could take.Ted now had blood in his hand!I shuddered at the remembrance of it. Thankfully, when Leon brought me back to the house, Marie and Mr. Vale had been too engrossed with having their lover’s time together to even notice that I was drenched in dread, so I had just delivered what I was sent and I went into my room. I could not even bring myself to eat anything. In fact, the thought of food made my stomach retch.This was no longer a case of drug dealing; it was a murder case. First of all, Ted had gotten involved in drugs, which was even a great crime in the country. Then he had killed Jane in cold blood simply because she had betrayed him. To make things even scarier, he had planted a pi
Syrus’s POVSyrus got home at past midnight, drenched and drained. His mission with Ken had failed woefully. After asking Ken that question, Ken had laughed at him to scorn.“If you didn’t, then who did?” Ken had asked without remorse. “You were the one with the wedge hammer that day; I only walked in and saw that you had just murdered the Frenchman,” Ken had said.Syrus had almost fallen defeated, because on a face level, that had been what had happened, but Syrus was determined to get to the bottom of it. More than anything else, he wanted to get this guilt hanging over his head; this guilt that Ken was now threatening to use against him. Syrus was a businessman, and he knew what deadly scandals could do to his company. Once the news got out and the world knew that he had murdered someone, he would never recover from it, and Syrus had gone too far to let anything stop him now. He had sacrificed too much to let a sin from the past crawl up to destroy everything. “I don’t remember an
Vivian’s POV“I still want to know,” I told Leon insistently even though my heart was pounding greatly.I was asking myself if I truly needed to know about it, because Leon’s words sounded dreadful, causing my heart to beat faster than usual. Maybe I should just let sleeping dogs lie, especially now that I had gotten far away from Ted, but how far away can I ever possibly get? Each time I think I have successfully run away from a problem, it pops right back up and stares at me squarely in the face. For instance, the last person I expected to run into in this peaceful town that I had gotten a job was Leon, the same man whom I had seen with Ted who had a dangerous look in his eyes. These were signs that I could never actually run away from my reality. There was Ken and the conniving inspector that I had fled from. There was Ted who had verbally threatened me right in a house that I had called home for years. I couldn’t continue running away from difficult and harsh truths, especially the
Vivian’s POVI waited for Marie’s package to be brought to me, but it was taking longer than necessary.“Ma’am, please how much longer is this going to take?” I asked, because my legs were beginning to get weak.“A little while longer,” the attendant responded politely.I waited and waited, and I wondered why it was taking so much time. I began to feel sweaty and hot in my stomach, and extremely uncomfortable, but I did not know what else to do.“Here,” Leon turned.I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard his voice. Then I turned around and saw him holding a glass of juice. “I have been watching you, and you look like you are about to pass out,” Leon added when I didn’t make any move to collect the juice from him.“Where did you get this from?” I asked him skeptically.“There’s a restaurant just by the corner,” Leon answered, his hand still stretched at me.I took the juice from Leon, because I realized that I highly needed it, especially with how long I have been standing and wai
Syrus’s POVSyrus got into his car and drove off without his driver.He needed to handle this alone and he could not do that if he went with anyone else. Ken had made him believe that he killed the Frenchman and he had lived with that guilt for years ever since, but now, Syrus wondered if that was true. The last thing he remembered was drinking the coffee that Ken served him which he prepared when no one was looking at him. He could not fathom how he stood in front of the Frenchman all of a sudden. Syrus could not tell what happened around that time. After he took the coffee, everything around Syrus had just fizzled out.And now, Ken was using the incident to hang threats above his head. No, he could not just sit idly by and watch Ken destroy his life. Syrus even wondered why he hadn’t thought of that day’s incident before now. It was a long drive to the small town where Syrus was certain Ken’s small hospital was located. He had never been there, so he could not tell exactly where it
Syrus’s POVSyrus had been in the learning room with the Frenchman for hours learning the ropes on how to bring his father’s crumbling company back up.“In business, you must make up your mind to choose the company above anything else,” the Frenchman was speaking. “As you begin to flourish, there will be times when difficult choices will be thrown at you, even regarding the people you love dearly, but remember to always choose your inheritance and legacy,” he continued.Syrus nodded diligently. They had been on rigorous training and tutorship for months now since Anderson referred him to the Frenchman in order to save his legacy from collapsing. His father might have abandoned it, but Syrus couldn’t; he shouldn’t, because it was his legacy. Without the company, he would be left on the street with his mother and sister, and Syrus could never allow that to happen.“I knew your dad before now,” the Frenchman continued. “His name and company were on the lips of virtually everyone in the c
Vivian’s POV“You?” I asked in utter disbelief, disappointment, and shock.Why on earth was everything happening to me at the same time?Leon rolled his eyes dully. “Trust me, I have no pleasure in seeing you as well, but Diana is tied up with a customer, so you either take or, or forget about it,” Leon stated.I thought of returning into the house, but Marie would ask me why I changed my mind. I was their housekeeper, and whether I liked it or not, it was my duty to run errands for them without giving excuses, and also, I still wanted to get away from them for a while, at least. It was as though I was between the devil and the deep blue sea.“Are you coming or do I have to leave?” Leon asked impatiently.Grudgingly, I walked to the car and sat in the backseat, because I really did not want anything to do with him. Sitting at the backseat was as far as I could get from Leon, even though I still had to breathe the same air as he and tolerate his aggravating presence for a few hours.Le
Vivian’s POV“Vivian, are you busy?” Marie asked me.It was evening and I had done everything she needed me to do, but as soon as she asked the question, I got up energetically.“Not at all,” I answered, because I wasn’t busy, and I wasn’t equally tired.“Are you sure?” Marie asked; she was always very thoughtful and kind, and I could never get enough of it.Since I started to work here, I had to literally pinch myself everyday that this wasn’t a dream. It was a reality! “I am certain,” I answered. “Is there something you want me to do for you?” I asked.“Uh, yes,” Marie answered.“What might that be?” I asked.“I shipped in some things I bought, and they have arrived. I would’ve picked them up myself, but Vale is having a little headache, and I cannot leave him right now,” Marie said.“Oh my goodness, is he okay?!” I asked, genuinely worried.“Yes, he is,” Marie said, but she sounded downcast. “It’s just a mild headache,” she added softly.“I know I shouldn’t pry, but is something w