WENDY’S POV I stormed into Listowel’s house without a knock, my heels clicking loudly while the gown I was wearing trailed on the floor as I made my way into his room. I could feel my heart racing, blood pumping hot and fast through my veins. “Listowel,” I shouted, slamming the door shut behind me. “ We need to talk!” Listowel, who was at his study, came and stood by the door, his arms crossed over as he glared down at me. His jaw tightened as he looked at me but he didn't utter a word. ”If you're man enough, you wouldn't have broken up with me over the media! You're such a coward,” I yelled at the top of my lungs. “I don't have the time for this,” he said, his voice low and controlled, “Leave.” “ You know what, this the perfect time,” I spat, holding the front of my gown as I made my way upstairs. “I’m tired of being treated like this, Listowel! Do you think you can just throw me aside? After everything I’ve endured because of you? After everything my grandpa has done for
MELISSA’S POVThe water cascaded down my body. It was warm but it couldn't ease the storm brewing in my mind. The unplanned kisses and the laughter Listowel and I shared while he was at the hospital filled my memory. “Melissa,” I whispered to myself, leaning against the tiled wall, my wet hair plastered against my back. “You can’t let him pull you back in.”I turned off the shower, grabbed a towel, and dried myself. My reflection in the mirror caught my eye. As I stared into my own eyes, “You deserve better than this Melissa. He's the only man in the world. You can always love again,” I thought to myself. I wrapped the towel around myself and headed to the living room. I turned on the TV and switched the channel where they were playing music. My attention was not even in the music that much but a breaking news caught my attention. “News Flash—billionaire Listowel Gordon has officially ended his engagement with socialite Wendy Maccini. Sources close to the Gordon family confirm…”I
LISTOWEL’S POVThe incessant ringing of my phone got on my nerves as I sat at my desk, staring blankly at the forecourt of my company building through the floor to ceiling glass window. I ignored the vibration at first, but whoever was on the other end was relentless. I glanced at the screen and it was my Grandma.With a deep sigh, I leaned back in my chair and swiped to answer.“Grandma,” I said flatly, already bracing myself for her tone.“Listowel,” she barked, her voice stern, “come home. Now.”I pinched the bridge of my nose. I didn’t need this right now. “I’m busy, Grandma.”“Busy doing what? Chasing after that girl who’s clearly moved on?”My jaw tightened. She knew exactly what to say to push my buttons.“Don’t start, Grandma,” I warned, my voice low.“I’m not starting, Listowel. I’m finishing. If you don’t come home today, I will call an emergency board meeting. Let’s see how long you keep your position as CEO.”A chuckle escaped my lips. “Do whatever you want, Grandma. I do
MELISSA’S POV The cab ride to the airport felt like the longest twenty minutes of my life. Every bump on the road jarred me, not because of the roughness of the ride, but because of the weight of my thoughts. Leaving Aphrodite again felt like the only option. This time I wasn't leaving as a broken woman. But as a woman who had something to protect. I wanted to protect myself and my daughter Crystal. The fact that Wendy was able to hire someone to come and hurt me even when he was still with Listowel, I can’t imagine the kind of thoughts she could have now that Listowel has broken up with her. I will not sit here and wait for something bad to happen again before I take action. Although I have no intention of letting Listowel know about Crystal, if Wendy manages to know just like how she got my address; she might lose her mind and hurt my daughter. Nothing could be as dangerous as a scorned woman. The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “ Are you okay, miss?” I no
AUTHOR’S POV The bar was loud, throbbing with music that vibrated in the whole building. James and Daniel, Listowel’s half-brothers, were enjoying themselves as their bodies swung rhythmically with the music . “James, you’re unbelievable!” one of the women said, her high-pitched laughter cutting through the noise as James whispered something into her ear. Daniel, a tumbler of whiskey in his hand, smirked as he watched his brother work. “Save some for the rest of us, huh?” he teased in a mocking tone. “Relax, Danny,” James shot back, throwing an arm around the woman. “There’s plenty to go around.” James raised his glass, his voice cutting through the loud music. “To Listowel’s downfall!” Daniel joined in, raising his drink. “May his stupidity finally give us the chance we deserve.” They clinked glasses, laughter spilling out as they downed their drinks. “Breaking off the engagement with Wendy?” James scoffed, slamming his empty glass onto the table. “it would have been better
LISTOWEL’S POV The conference room was suffocating. The air hummed with tension so thick it was almost palpable, and every gaze in the room seemed to be aimed at me. I leaned back in my chair, outwardly calm, though my chest felt tight. I’d been through a hundred board meetings in my time as CEO, but this one was different. This one wasn’t about strategy or projections; it was about survival. I scanned the room, noting the familiar faces of the board members, most of whom avoided meeting my eyes. At the head of the table sat my grandmother, her icy glare directed straight at me. James and Daniel were to her left, their smug expressions irritating me more than they should. They whispered and chuckled to each other, completely at ease. Mr. Maccini, seated next to Grandmother, maintained his usual unapproachable demeanor. His presence alone was a threat. With his shares and my grandmother’s influence, it was clear they had worked tirelessly behind the scenes to have me impeached as
Wendy’s POV My Grandpa had been doting on me evet since I tried to kill myself. I had cut my wrist and was lying down in a pool of blood when the maid came out of nowhere and shouted for me to be taken to the hospitalZ Since then, my grandfather has been trying to feed me, and even put me to sleep. The warmth of the food on my tongue didn’t soothe me; I pushed the plate away. “I’m not hungry,” I muttered, staring down at the half-eaten food. “Stop this, Wendy,” Grandpa said, his tone firm but laced with concern. He was always so damn concerned about my well-being, but never once had he asked about my heart—about how Listowel had thrown me aside. “You can’t keep on punishing yourself like that” I shot him a bitter look. “I’m not punishing myself. I’m trying to figure out what’s left of me,” Grandpa sighed heavily, his brow furrowed in thought . “We’ll fix this, Wendy. You just need to pull yourself together. You need to go back to Italy and clear your head. Go to sch
Listowel’s POVIt's been three days since the meeting was held. I still held my position as CEO. But I hadn’t slept in two days. Two damn days. And it felt like the world was spinning slower, dragging me with it. I’d been to Melissa’s house, again and again, hoping, praying, that this time she’d open the door. That time, she wouldn’t turn me away.But nothing had changed.The silence from her side of things felt like a rejection I couldn’t escape. Every time I approached her house, I was filled with this aching sense of defeat, as if she had put a wall around herself that I couldn’t break through.I had thought I could live without her. But now, I wasn’t sure I ever would.The sound of my phone buzzing on the desk cut through my thoughts. Kevin’s name flashed on the screen. I answered it, not even bothering with pleasantries. “What is it?”“Sir please, I’ve got something,” Kevin’s voice was steady, but there was a tension in it. “We’ve been able to track down the guy who did the att
With my hands crossed over my chest I stood still beside the ceiling to floor glass windows in my office, staring at the landscape of Aphrodite. The fact that I was staring at the landscape beneath me didn’t mean I was admiring it but rather was staring plainly at without having any thoughts of it. My mind was currently a mess and it was swirling with thoughts of the unthinkable. My phone which was lying on the desk behind me was ringing incessantly with calls and notifications from the media houses, relative, business partners and bloggers. Apparently there were news circulating throughout the whole city that the next heir to Gordon Inc has been conceived so they were all reaching out to find out if it’s true. A slow smirk, a chuckle, and then a laugh laughter erupted from my lips echoed throughout my office. Even though the laugh was humorless I couldn’t stop myself from producing it. I laughed and laughed until my chest hurt. I mean, wasn’t it ridiculous enough for them
The alluring smell of hibiscus drifted through the garden as I sat in my garden, enjoying the breeze. The fine porcelain mug which contained the bitter leaf tea I was sipping swirled gently in my hands as I sipped on it.Placing down the mug, “That rude little brat!” I cursed under my breath. I couldn't believe I almost fell for her lies and actually shipped her to be the next lady of the Gordon Group.Even the thought of her makes my skin crawl. How could she have stooped so low? She really was going to hit me with the wine bottle? Wow! She wants to my grandson with such rotten manners? Over my dead body!Taking in a deep breath, I stood up and made my way into the mansion. I've baked myself enough; the rest of the sunrays has no vitamins.I reached for my phone from the dining table as I realised its been chiming with notifications for a while now. Assuming it was blog notifications, I ignored it. It is like generation only mind other peoples business for a living. There's always
WENDY’S POVI looked up at Listowel feigning tears, “You can hate me all you want. You can view me as the worst person to ever lived. But don’t forget this Lis. You’re going to be a father, Listowel. You can’t just turn your back on that.” I stated.He glared at me with for a while without uttering a word. His lips were tight, the veins on his forehead popping as if he was going to explode any time soon.He had returned back from downstairs and I could only guess things didn’t go well for him. Melissa must have pushed him away.Good. Now he knows how it feels to be rejected. Feigning pity, I moved my fingers seductively on his chest as I sobbed, “ Come to me. Let’s watch our baby grow together.”The grimace on his face deepened as soon as the words flew out of my lips. “Get your hands off me,” he growled. His low voice sounding more deadly than I anticipated. He looked like he was using all the energy in him to suppress the fury bubbling in his chest but I couldn’t care less. He
LISTOWEL’S POV My heart jumped to my throat as soon as I saw Melissa by the doorway. She was standing still, her face drained of blood as she locked eyes with me. My chest tightened and I could feel my heart aching badly as I saw her beautiful eyes turn red and then teary. No. She wasn’t supposed to hear this. Not now. Not when I was still unsure if what Wendy was saying was true. Pushing aside my desk, I sprang up to my feet and ran towards her. “Lisa….” I whispered, stretching my hands to hold her still. But before I could touch her, she took some steps back, her bloodshot eyes producing more tears than I could imagine. Her lips parted as she tried to talk but only a sorrowful sound came out. Covering her mouth, she shook her head slowly before turning to her heels. I ran after her but the elevator door closed before I could get in. When I managed to meet her downstairs, she had wiped the tears off her face, her expression hard and serious. Slowly, I approached her, prevent
WENDY’S POV Early the next morning, I returned to the mansion, the expression on my face that of anger. I was ready to scold my grandpa for his hypocrisy. But upon my return, he had already left for a meeting. He had given the keys to the maids and instructed them not to give it to me. One of the maids dared to challenge me when I demanded the key, infuriating me the more. And yeah, she was fired from working in our mansion that very day. I hate nobodies who tend to act pompous when they get little authority. With the pretense of delivering coffee, I made my way to the guest room. Luckily, Listowel was asleep so I thought to myself that I still had the chance to execute my plan. Quietly, I sneaked into the bed after undressing. My fingers trailed on the green veins lining up on his big muscles and arms. Oh, how I miss the old days! Doing this would have made him curl me up on his chest. A sudden turn he made jolted me out of my thoughts. Slowly, he sat up on t
WENDY’S POV My heart pounded rapidly in my chest as I made my way out of the restaurant. Luckily, the bodyguards my grandpa had recruited to watch after me were at the scene. They rushed in and seized the phones of the people around, threatening to sue any of them who would post it online. Sitting in my car, I let out a steady breath, trying to calm myself from the embarrassment from earlier. Gazing keenly into thin air, “Madam Gordon, harden your resolve because the next blow that's coming your way could end you paralyzed.” I gritted. Reaching for my phone, I scrolled through my contacts, looking for our family doctor’s contact. I hesitated for a split second before tapping on the green dial sign. This was the only way for me to get the upper hand. The call went through after the ring and Dr. Mensah’s voice came through the line. “Hi…” I breathe out. “It is Wendy…” “Wendy dear, how are you?” he politely asked, even though I hate it when he treats me like we ar
MELISSA’S POV The clock struck five and it was already time to close. I shut off my monitor and started arranging my desk, bringing the day's work to an end. I grabbed my bag and put in it some accessories before I stood up and adjusted my dress. From the glass windows, where I was checking myself, I could see a blue folder with a stack of documents inside. I let out a gentle sigh as I remembered what I told the owner the other day. I remember telling Listowel that I was gonna give it to a dispatch rider to deliver it to him but there here it was, still lying on my desk as if all the riders in town were on holiday. Well, I changed my mind at the last minute and decided to go give it to him in person. Yes. Yes. I know. I know that seeing him often was gonna disrupt my healing journey but….. I forced a chunk down my guts as I inched closer to pick it up. These documents seem to be important and it'll be thoughtless of me to leave them in the hands of a random rider. Wha
A wave of gasps erupted from the people around me as the liquid drenched my designer dress, turning the white fabric into red.My lips parted widely, my eyes closing shut as the wine dripped from my hair to my face and onto my dress. I froze. For a moment, I couldn’t move or utter a word.Was I just hallucinating or that dang old bat had poured the wine on me?I let out a slow breath, my fingers curling into a fist beside me as I stood properly. “What the hell do you think you’re—“ I yelled, but my statement died on my lips as her palm vehemently clashed against my cheek.My head snapped to the side, my hair flying everywhere as the sting spread through my face. My hands shot up to caress the area she had just slapped, glaring at her with deadly fury. Whispering, the onlookers started inching closer to the scene; their phones shot up in the air as they started recording. I raised my hand, intending to return the favor. These people were recording and I hate to be the one at the m
WENDY’S POV Tonight made it exactly a month since Listowel woke up in my bed. I had sent the photos to Melissa to get a reaction out of her. But to my surprise; she never reached out as I expected. I was even doubting she must have seen the photos until I witnessed Listowel being thrown out of her house by security two weeks ago. Only the heavens know how happy I was that day when I realised my plan had worked. Their so called lovely relationship had crumbled. I had this in mind and was in the process of planning my next move not knowing the blow that hanged in the air, waiting to be served. I was dining at the rooftop restaurant, when the articles of Listowel admitting that Melissa is the lady he’s been going out with circulated the internet. The people around had started murmuring among themselves so I had requested to change to a private dinning room. The music played softly in the background while the symphony of clinking glasses, people conversing over their foods an