I sat in my dimly lit room, my fingers nervously tapping against the wooden desk. The silence felt suffocating, and the weight of everything going wrong pressed down on my chest. It seemed like everything was falling apart, and I couldn’t see a way out. Then, my phone buzzed on the desk, breaking the silence. It was Clinton. My heart skipped a beat, but I forced myself to breathe slowly before picking it up. “Clinton,” I said, my voice low and shaky. “Wendy,” he replied, his voice calm but tense. “Listen, Tony has been arrested. Listowel traced and got him. This is bad. Really bad.” My heart clenched. Tony. He was the one who poured the acid on Listowel. He was supposed to be my tool, my ally in getting revenge. And now, he was in custody. The thought of losing him made my stomach turn. I couldn’t let that happen. Not after everything I’d done to get here. “What do you mean, they’re onto us?” I asked, trying to keep my panic in check. “Listowel knows that you and I are i
MELISSA’S POV I had been sitting by my laptop for hours, staring at the screen, trying to keep my mind occupied. But my thoughts kept drifting back to the same thing: my decision. I needed to leave Aphrodite City, leave everything behind—leave him behind. Listowel. The man who had once been my husband. The man who had destroyed me then tried to put me back together only to tear me apart again. The one who had used his influence to get me to work for his company. The one I could never forget, no matter how much I hated him. But this time, I was doing it for myself. I was doing it for Crystal. She deserved a fresh start, a life without the constant reminders of the toxic mess that had been my marriage. She deserved a life away from him. I’d already looked into apartments in the U.S. I had found a few options, but nothing felt final, nothing felt right. The uncertainty made me uneasy, but I had no choice. I was determined to go. I scrolled through job listings on my laptop, glan
MELISSA’S POV I pulled up at the parking lot of Legalstone Solicitors. As expected of an infamous company like Legalstone, the interior and ambiance screamed luxury. From the model of cars parked here, no one had to tell you the employees of this company are filthy rich and well-to-do. Well, it isn't anything unexpected because eighty percent of the attorneys who work here come from wealthy generations. The other twenty percent are also self-made business moguls, who ventured into law probably for the fun of it. That's why someone like me never dreamt of working for Legalstone Solicitors. I've not even once imagined myself working here. Never. But here I am today, clutching an envelope and some files in my hands, riding the elevator to the 18th floor, where the interview is to be scheduled. The ride was smooth yet slow. My heart pounded rapidly in my chest as I leaned my back on the horizontal pole in the lift, anticipating for the door to chime open soon. While wai
MELISSA’S POV I froze, my eyes moving in between the interviewers in a daze. Since when did interviews become so simple like this? Swallowing a chunk down, “Umm… you mean tomorrow? The day after today?” I asked while blinking. “Yes dear, no need to waste time. You can start working right away. Here at Legalstone, we do our best to be efficient. Besides, you were highly recommended so the interview was more of a formality,” a gentleman from the interview board remarked. My confused face contorted into disgust as soon as I processed his words. What does he mean by I was recommended? By who? I’m certain I know not even one person who works at Legalstone so who could have probably invited me? Could this be Listowel’s doing? Recalling his name alone made my mouth turn sour. Masking my disgusted look with a smile, “What do you mean by that? The gentleman’s brows raised as he also asked, “By what?” Tilting my head in the puzzle, “What do you mean by what you said earlier… that I
MELISSA’S POV “Yes, even I am surprised because that is very rare of him. He hardly commends his staff not to talk of making recommendations. You must have made quite the impression on him?” “I see…” I said, wondering who this Giovanni of a director is and what could have probably been his reason for the recommendation. The lady didn’t say anything again, but I could sense her unwelcoming demeanor even though I wasn’t paying much attention to her. As the elevator rode downstairs, my mind swirled with different thoughts. I was trying to figure out where in particular I might have met this director or how he got to know me. After a couple of minutes of trying, I finally gave up and silently prayed that my recommendation was based on my portfolio and that things would not end up like what happened at Gordon Inc. “I hope it wasn’t a selfish decision,” I said and immediately covered my lips with my hands as I realized the words had flown out of my lips unconsciously. “We
MELISSA’S POVI rode a taxi to the airport immediately I left Legalstone. I was in so much hurry that so I left my car at the company. The realtors I had consulted in regards to the new place I wanted Crystal and Nancy to live had sent me numerous messages so I was in a rush. It was already time for my flight so it didn't take me long and I was aboard. As I sat in the plane, my mind raced for a while. I thought over and over again about my decision to work at Legalstone. I knew working in Aphrodite will expose me to Listowel and Wendy’s drama but I was willing to take the risk. I won't let their brouhaha stop me from realizing my goals of becoming one of the best attorneys in countries. But while taking this huge risk, I still have my daughter in mind. I don't want to see me as a failure neither do I want her to be living in constant fear. After several arguments with my inner self, I came to the conclusion that I will rather buy a home at Zeus instead of renting. By this, my
MELISSA’S POV The room instantly went dead silent as Nancy and Crystal exchanged some silly glances. For a moment I thought they didn't like Hollandia Palace. Maybe I might have raised their hopes too high as they seemed not to be moved nor fascinated by moving to Hollandia. Crystal was the first to break the loud silence that had enveloped the room. Holding her waist, she let out a chuckle and teased, “Mummy… we are too broke to move to Hollandia. This is such an expensive joke.” My brows furrowed slightly as I turned to look at Crystal. How does she know the meaning of “broke?” And why does she even think that we are? Bending to her side, my lips pouted as I asked, “Sweetheart, that's not so nice of you. Why do you think mummy would lie to you?” “Mummy, I know you're just joking around. My friend at the academy told me that only rich people live in Hollandia. She even said, some of the actresses that appear on the television live there”. “Yes dear, they do. And we ar
MELISSA’S POV Luckily the road was quite empty as today was a weekday and most workers were already at work so there weren’t many cars on the road. Because of this, I stepped on the gas. I wanted us to meet him as early as possible. Through the sides of my eyes, a smirk tugged on my lips as I realized how tightly Nancy had clutched onto the holder at the upper part of the passenger door. “Girl… relax and sit properly. I’m not going to kill us,” a chuckle escaped my lips as I said. “Can you slow down a bit? I understand we are in a hurry but…” Nancy said, sounding like cold water had been poured down on her. Her words caught up in her throat when I stepped on the gas even harder, causing me to burst into laughter. Nancy has always been afraid of moving vehicles and anything associated with speed. She drives like a tortoise and uses years to cross roads. I don’t know why and when that phobia started but I’ve not thought much of it until today. Taking one more glance
WENDY’S POV “What is wrong with you?!” I shouted, wiping off the wine stain from my dress as I glared at her. You rather should tell me what rather with you after you see this!” she gritted, the thud sound of the documents she threw at me syncing with her last words. My brows furrowed in confusion before I lowered my gaze to look at the documents scattered on the floor. “What are these?” I asked in a low voice while I slowly bent to pick up one. “I should be the one asking you that,” Grandma Gordon sternly remarked. My eyes widened in shock, my heart jumping to my throat as soon as my eyes came into contact with the document. They were; God have mercy…. Photos of me with…with Clinton. And they weren't just regular pictures but intimate ones! Who took these photos? And how did she get it? Or could it be that she hired someone to tail me? Wait? Has Listowel seen these? Gosh, I’m doomed. Doomed for good. I bent and started picking up the rest of the photos on the floor,
WENDY’S POV I had come to the beach to relax for a while because of the turmoil that was raging in my head. Recently, Listowel has become a hot topic in the city as videos of her with his supposed girlfriend have become circulating online. Most people have been wondering who his girlfriend probably is since there haven’t been any clear pictures of her with him. Listowel can deceive the public by letting Melissa disguise herself and claiming her to be mysterious but he can never deceive me. I know very well it is Melissa and those mysterious claims are bullshit to me. I’ve been tempted severally to reveal to the world that the mysterious person he claims to be his girlfriend is none other than his mistress. Melissa Muggins. But whenever I give it a second thought, I realize I will be the one in the negative as compared to what Listowel and Melissa will lose. If I reveal to the public that Listowel is with Melissa, people will start hooting and mocking me. They
MELISSA’S POV *****SEXUAL CONTENT AHEAD***** “Ughhhh…,” I let out a loud moan as LISTOWEL’S tongue moved slowly down there. I could feel my kitty slowly thumping up and down as it withered with pleasure. “Arghhh baby….,” I threw my head back as I cried. His tongue was doing wonders and it felt as if I was on cloud nine. Letting out a sweet cry, my fingers trailed through his hair as I struggled to keep lying in a single position. “Mmm…. It’s still sleek down there,” he paused and complimented before continuing, except this time he combined both fingers and tongue. My legs trembled, my nipples hardening as I felt my kitty squinting its juices. My breath hitched, the moans trapping in my throat as Listowel crawled up to suck my books while gently stroking my bud. “Oh…my…God…baby…Listowel….” My voice broke in excitement as I forced it out. “That’s it, scream. Scream my name baby,” “Good girl… I missed you so much Lisa,” he murmured, his touches and kisses adding more flames
****SEXUAL CONTENT AHEAD*** MELISSA’S POV He inched forward, wrapping his hands around my waist as he pulled me to his chest. He planted a soft kiss on my hair, savoring its smell before trailing his soft lips to the side of my neck. My hands instinctively leaned on his shoulders while my fingers seductively played with his ears. Goosebumps spread throughout my body as I took in a deep breath to calm the desire burning within me. “Mr. Gordon….,” I slowly whispered, the lewdness of it catching me by surprise. I could feel the heat his body produced immediately when I called out his name. “Mmm…?” Listowel grumbled, as he gently nibbled my neck. “Call me that again,” he said, his rugged breath fanning on my face as he uttered. He pushed my body tightly to himself as if he wanted me to enter his body. “You still have this effect on me when you call me Mr. Gordon,” he added. The gentle trail of his fingers from my nape, my back, my waist, and then on my thighs sends an electric
MELISSA’S POV Without warning, Listowel pulled me to his side, the chair I was sitting in making a small screeching sound that earned us some attention. “What are you doing?” I whispered under my breath while scanning through the corner of my eyes at the people staring at us. “Just trying to sit closer to my girlfriend,” he retaliated with a proud look. “You’re enjoying this, aren't you?” I squinted my eyes as I asked. He only cut me a small smile. Just as I had thought to change the subject, suddenly, a bright light flashed across our faces. Instinctively, I tilted my head and tried to hide but Listowel held my hands firm as he leaned closer to me and said, “Don’t worry about these people. As far as your identity is not known, let them do whatever. Let them wonder. After all, the only thing that matters is that I know who you are and how lucky, I am to have you in my life.” The air around me instantly felt hot, my cheeks slightly turning red as I used my hands to fan my f
MELISSA'S POV It’s been two weeks since I accepted Listowel’s proposal to be his girlfriend. For the past few days, Listowel has been making me feel like I’m on top of the world. We’ve been hanging out a lot, having fun here and there. The kind of excitement that has been coursing through me makes me wonder if I deserve all of this happiness. Slipping my fingers through the silk scarf I was holding, I gently rolled it before wrapping it around my neck, adjusting it in such a way that it would be able to cover half of my face. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Listowel gazing at me with a mocking expression as I was checking to see if I was well-covered. He stretched his arms and reached for my hands, squeezing them as he said, “Relax baby. No one will recognize you.” Shooting him a glare, “It is easy for you to say since you are not the one who has to hide.” I said, feigning anger. "That’s why I told you that we don't have to hide. I'm ready to let the whole world kn
MELISSA’S POV I gazed at him, for one an exasperated sigh. I placed my hand on forehead, before saying, “Are you done here? Or do you have an another ridiculous stunt to pull?”His eyes raised and it met mine, sending knot in my throat. He looked both defeated and disappointed. “What are you talking about?” He asked. “What am I talking about?” I asked, feigning anger. Pointing to my phone screen, “The ridiculous plot of yours to use Nancy’s daughter…..,” I paused, letting the word I had just said to sink in. I couldn’t believe I have just denied my baby right now. I had just lied to Listowel just to protect my baby from being denied by him but I rather have ended up denying him.Letting out a slow stead breath, i continued, “As an excuse to enter my house without permission didn’t work, so stand up and get going..” As if he was deaf, he sat still, fumbling with his fingers. Moments later, his lips parted while he looked at me right in the eye and blurted. “I came to apologize.”
MELISSA’S POV“I’m not stepping out of here until you explain to me what’s going on,” he snapped.Putting my hands on my waist, I let out a deep breath as I muttered, “I will explain nothing to you so save yourself some time and get out of here. As you can see, I need to eat.”He didn’t budge, he only inhaled loudly as he persisted.“How old is she?”Turning my back to him, I turned to the kitchen where I took out my food and dished it on a plate. “Melissa, answer me,” he pressed, but I couldn’t care less.When he realized I wasn’t going to talk, he sat across from me on the dining table, staring at me as I ate in silence. As soon as the last bite of food settled in my mouth, “How? Old. Is. She?” He demanded.I sat still, staring at his weary face. I couldn’t tell whether the thought of having a child had drained the color off his face that much or the fact that I was refusing to tell him more about his child. Silence engulfed the room as I sat still, refusing to answer him. “Fou
LISTOWEL’S POV Was it my ears or did I just hear the girl on the phone refer to Melissa as mummy? My mouth flew open under the helmet, as I tried to process what I had just heard. Mummy? All this while Melissa had a child? And I didn’t know about it? But wait…. With who? I’ve had Kevin and the others look after Melissa for a long time. If they had seen anything as such; I’m sure they would have informed me. Besides, ever since Melissa moved back to Aphrodite, no man or even anyone has visited her here before so… “No, it can’t be,” I muttered inwardly as I gripped the door handle before she could slam the door shut. She resisted, attempting to pull it away from my hold but my grip was obviously tighter and stronger than hers. Rolling her eyes at me, “What are you doing?” She snapped, still trying to yank the door away from me. “What the hell are you doing? Let go of it before I call the police!” she threatened, her eyes burning with fury. She started pushing the doo