Chapter 5
KARL'S POV PACK THIS!!! Walking out of Sophie's apartment, I marvelled at my good fortune. After learning more about her, and on Max's advise, I had gone looking for her. I pondered for a while before deciding it was the best strategy since I did not want the press to be all over me about the divorce, and I also needed a nanny for my four year-old son Davis, whom Claire had left me with. I came across a little girl who begged me to assist her get home. I had grown a liking for the little girl who was so adorable and hard to resist and on finding out who she was I took her home to meet her mother too. "Who would have thought that the little girl who I met on the street and who had begged for my help was Sophie own daughter." I muttered aloud as I walked away, turning to gaze at the house again. "Max's advice was not so horrible after all." I grumbled to myself as I walked to my car, my thoughts racing with how I had found out about Sophie. Max's unexpected suggestion eased my concerns about what to do about my son and the divorce. Breathless, Max entered my office while clutching his phone in his hand. He hurried all the way to my office, looking as though he had seen a ghost. "I have the answer to all of this," Max said as he entered my office, trying to regain his breathe. "What answers have you got that prompted you to storm into my office? I asked with a grimace on my face.I was not sure what he was talking about. Max was my buddy; we were not particularly close, but we came through for one other when it counted. " Sorry, but you should see this." He replied as he motioned for me to take a look at his phone. I was unable to grasp what he was showing me on his phone, so I just gazed at it, speculating about the answers he wanted to show to me. It was the image of a very plainly clad woman. Although she was stunning, how would it solve anything? I wondered. " What is all of this about?" I questioned, looking up into his face as if looking for answers that did not seem to come. "You still do not get it, Anh?" He squirmed and moaned, frustrated. He was dissatisfied that I did not comprehend what he was attempting to show me and stated his disapproval. " She looks like your wife, Karl." Max remarked, pointing at his phone. He sighed as he sat down. He appeared exhausted from the walk into my office and disappointed by my ignorance, as all joy faded from his face. " I wondered how you are able to run a company as big as this, when you are unable to catch the slightest hint." He murmured as he exhaled irritably. "Get out of my office, I would not tolerate any insult from you." I groaned in displeasure at his statement. He promptly apologised after seeing I was offended. " I am sorry about that. I mean this answers all your problems." He stated again this time he tried to explain further not allowing me a chance to ponder on what answers he was referring too. "The divorce, you can employ her to act as your babysister for your son. Although she has to dress like Claire so no one notices the difference, that way you can keep everything quiet.Hopefully Davis won't too." He remarked, peering into my eyes and I listened intently as he spoke. He appeared to be quite logical. I had told Max about my worries about my son as I did not want him to notice his mother was gone as I did not want the news about the divorce to get out and we have been looking for a solution until now. "You only need to sign a document that seals the arrangement, and at times tell her to attend public functions with you when necessary until you are ready to reveal the divorce." He added finally. " Hmmm." I responded after pondering for a while.It seemed like a good idea but I had my reservations about it,wondering if it would work. " No one can say no to me." I muttered to myself after a while as I turned to face Max who was eagerly anticipating my response. " Get me every detail about her, I want to know everything, even what she had for breakfast today. Now get out." I mouthed motioning of him to leave my office. "I will get right to it." Max responded as he left my office abruptly to get to get what I had asked. In addition to being my friend, Max served as my investigator, providing me with any information I need. He was Indeed a great guy. About a few hours later, Max had gotten the details about her and sent the files to me. As soon as I got the details and was sure she had no criminal records I headed for her house, I met Selene on my way there. I immediately accepted to take her home when I realized who she was. Sophie met us at the front porch and immediately I saw her I developed a sudden hatred for her. She was dressed shabbily and looked rather unkept and her striking resemblance with Claire made me hate her even more and I decided to proposed to marry her even though seeing her brought hurtful memories. I had intended to offer her a job to be my son's baby sitter but seeing how much she looked like my Ex wife I thought of how I could as well use her to get back at Claire as well as fit in as my wife in public events. I saw her as the perfect solution to all my worries hoping she would suffice till I figured out a permanent solution. Selene told me about her desire of wanting a Barbie doll for her birthday which was in a few days but her mother had told her she would have to wait until next year since she could not afford it. She had then decided that because her mother could not afford the present she desired, all she needed was a father and a husband for her mother. She wished for her mother's happiness as she claimed her mother has been treated poorly because she did not have a father. I headed straight for the closest mall to get the doll. As much as I would love to make Selene happy sending a message to Sophie would not be a bad idea. So I decided on the perfect way to send Sophie the message. " Pack this." I said after getting the doll as I got to the mall. I figured I would use it to send a message to Sophie since I had promised Selene I was going to get it for her and while it was packed my phone beeped. It was a message from my assistant Ryan. " Mr Michael is around Sir and he wants to insists on speaking to you. Mr Michael was an important investor in the company and did not like discussing business with anyone but me whenever he was at the office. He was an important client and also Claire, my ex wife father. Following the divorce, he had only contacted for business, as if he was utterly unaware that his daughter had left me. I did not bring it up, and we both went about business as if nothing had happened. I had to rush down to meet him. I groaned, deciding to have my assistant Ryan deliver the gift instead. Soon afterwards i got to the office as I was close by and Ryan came out to meet me as soon as my car came to a halt. I ordered him to have the parcel delivered as I walked to meet Mr Micheal as he had been waiting for me. " Take this, get the parcel out of my car and have it delivered to the address I just texted you." I said as i gave my car keys to him to get the parcel and have it delivered to Sophie's house as I walked to meet Mr Micheal.Chapter 6Tick tock says the clock.Sophie's POVMy phone beeped as I stood up to open the door, but the knock persisted, so I decided to go see who was knocking. When I reached the door, I sighed heavily, praying it was not Karl. I needed sometime to figure out how to salvage the situation. I did not want to accept his proposal and that would hurt Selene since she was already quite fond of him.I needed a flawless cover story for why the marriage would fail, and I wanted him to be on my side to persuade Selene."How was I supposed to handle this?" the persistent knock on the door prompted me to ask myself this question. When I opened the door, I was surprised to see an unexpected visitor. It was a young man, too elegantly dressed to be a delivery man, carrying a package. It was a lot going on in one day, and I prayed for the best. I glanced at him, without concealing my concern about what he wanted. I looked at the parcel warily, wondering who it was for."Good day, ma'am, I was i
Chapter 7KARL'S POVI HAVE A WIFE ALREADY..As soon as I have instructions about the parcel to Ryan, I went directly to my office. I had to meet with Mr Micheal who I had been informed was waiting for me. My phone beeped as I entered the office, it was a message from the CEO of a company we were about to do business with too. I turned my gaze to my phone to check the message as I walked to where Mr Micheal was sitted." Hello Mr Karl." He stood up to greet me as soon as I entered the office. Even though Mr Michael appeared irritated that I had kept him waiting for so long, he faked a grin extended his hands to shake me as soon as I entered.I could not help it as I had forgotten I had a meeting with him and gone to attend to other things." This should be fine." I muttered inaudibly still engrossed with my phone. As soon as I was done I turned to face him, I guess he dropped his hand after a while as he noticed I was not paying attention to him. Athough Mr Micheal was family every on
Chapter 8 SOPHIE'S POV LET ME GO!!!! " Mummy when is Uncle Karl coming?" Selene tapped up me up from my sleep that morning. It was morning and I almost overslept thanks to Selene. I tossed on the bed and finally woke up to the staring eyes of Selene waiting for me to answer her question. " Emmmh He will come soon my love." I said to her as I got off from the bed to make breakfast and get ready for work. As I made breakfast I worried about Selene and her sudden fondness for Karl. I had decided on what to do to avoid the marriage but I couldn't bare to see my baby girl hurt. Selene was about the only thing that mattered in my life and I was willing to sacrifice my happiness for hers. We ate breakfast quietly and I tried as much as possible to ensure it stayed that way as I was not ready for Selene's questioning. "Mummy" Selene called out for me as we ate and I turned to answer her facing her. " You should finish your food so you don't go late to school." I answered and I
Chapter 9 SELENE 'S POV Let's get Ice cream!!! When I arrived at school the next day with my mother, we walked straight to class, and she handed me over to my classroom teacher. After my previous incident, mum decided she would had enough of my drama and would bring me to school and collect me up every day after I closed even though it would be tough for her because she would have to come from work every day to pick me up and we would both head back to her office where I would wait until she closed before we went home together. She was determined not to allow me out of her sight for anything other than school. It would not be an easy approach, but I had no option because Mummy was scared of anything happening to me and had decided to keep a watch on me since my previous adventure. "Selene is naughty." I could hear some of my class mates whispering to the others as I stepped in. The news of my escapade had gone around school and almost everyone was talking about it. Xavier
Chapter 10 SOPHIE'S POV LEAVE US ALONE... " What do you mean, her dad picked her up?" I yelled as I found out that my daughter was missing again. The class teacher slurred as she talked, which irked me. That morning, as I left, I made sure to give her the instruction to keep an eye on Selene and now no one knew where she was. Rather than meeting her at the entrance as usual, Selene was not there and I had to go to her class when I got there. I assumed she had been delayed, so I went to the classroom to check. When I arrived, there were no students in the classroom, but some were gathered outside the door. My thoughts raced to where she was, and I looked about but could not seem to find her. "Excuse me; have you seen Selene?" I questioned Selene's classmate who was at the door still chatting with a few students around. " Yes ma'am, she left with her dad after school dismissed." She answered, and I thanked her before asking her to go. "What dad?" I murmured to myself as
Chapter 11KARL'S POVTHE MARRIAGE IS CANCELLED!!! " How on earth could she address me in that manner?"I questioned myself, irritated about the way I was treated as we drove back to the office with Dave. Claire, my ex-wife, had fired the nanny just before the divorce, and I could not trust anyone with my kid just yet. I took it upon myself to pick up and drop off Dave at school, making sure we had something to eat before we left, and made sure hehad enough money for lunch. I happened to meet Selene on my way to pick up Dave, and I thought it would be a good idea for the three of us to go grab ice cream." Dad, why was Selene mum yelling at you?" Davis questioned as he turned to face me. I was not in the mood, so I ended the conversation before it began."Davis, this is grownup business. Do not worry about it." I answered as I was not in the mood for Davis questioning." Sophie has to be dealt with." I murmured, and my driver turned to face me and inquired whether I was referring t
Chapter 12SOPHIE'S POVWHAT WOULD YOU HAVE MRS RUTHERFORD DO? " What's happening mum?" Selene inquired as she observed me struggling with the door and i looked away from the door for a second." It's nothing baby, I guess the key is stucked." I answered as I attempted to open the door again. Miss Lois laughed and her cunny chuckle stole my focus from the door."No home, no spouse, how bad can it get ahh?." She said as she pretended to be sad, as if she felt terrible for me, and after a moment, she burst out laughing.Though hurt, I made an effort to keep my feelings in check. "Well, my dear, I presume the landlord changed the locks; that is unfortunate." She added and it dawned on me instantly why the locks looked different."Oh," I exclaimed as I realised what had occurred. I groaned and carefully exited the door, heading to one end of the porch to collect my thoughts. I could not think of the best approach to handle the situation and now was the worst time for it. I sat on the p
Chapter 13SHE IS RELENTLESSKARL'S POV" Can you imagine?" I mumbled aloud, wondering what Sophie thought of herself when she visited my office. She had embarrassed me at my son's school and I was determined to not let it go, at least not without punishing her for it. But because of her behaviour at the office today, I was quite enraged and certain that I would never interact with her again. Since Sophie had a great likeness to my son's mother, I picked her as his nanny mostly because I did not want him to become overly aware of his mother's absence. Even though I had offered to marry her for reasons I could not explain, all I wanted was for her to be my son's babysitter and play the part of my wife when absolutely required.She did not appeal to me at all, and the fact that she looked like my wife just made me detest her more." Sophie exaggerates her own significance." I muttered as I grabbed my files as I was ready to leave the workplace. " She must be quite dumb to believe she
Chapter 163THE END..SOPHIE'S POV" It's ’s all done! "You may have a look now." The make up artist motioned for me to face the mirror.I stared at her reflection in the mirror, hardly able to believe what I was seeing. I looked like a goddess, my hair and makeup flawless, my dress clinging to her curves in all the right places. I felt like a completely different person. "This is so beautiful," I said,my voice full of wonder and gratitude as I gazed at her reflection in the mirror. "Thank you so much." "Sorry, I need to step out for a moment," Jade said, rising from her chair. "I'll be back in a few minutes."With that, she left the room, closing the door behind her.“I feel like the luckiest man on earth, getting married to the most amazing and stunning woman alive. It’s indeed a jackpot.” I heard Karl said as he walked into the room. His deep voice sent shivers down my spine.“He is so unreal, see those beautiful brown eyes.” I muttered to herself, unable to hide her blush as
Chapter 162FORGIVENESSSOPHIE'S POVI couldn't believe what I had just seen Karl had gone back to Claire who was plotting to ruin me. I couldn't believe what I had just seen. Karl, the love of my life, had betrayed me and gone back to Claire. It felt like a punch in the gut, shattering all my hopes and dreams for a happy future together. How could he not see through her manipulations? How could he choose her over me? I asked myself repeatedly.My heart ached as I stood there, watching them embrace. The pain was unbearable, and I felt tears welling up in my eyes. But amidst the hurt, anger fueled within me. How dare Claire try to ruin everything I had built with Karl? How could she manipulate him so easily? Determination filled me as I vowed to fight back and expose her true nature.The anger inside me was boiling over as I rushed back to the office. Karl followed me, pleading for a chance to explain himself. But I couldn't bear to look at him anymore. "Get out," I spat, my voice fil
Chapter 161THE REAL CULPRITKARL'S POVSitted in my office pondering on what to do about Sophie's situation, my mind wondered to who might have been behind the whole thing. A few moments later, my phone rang, it was the investigator I had hired to deal with the case. " Any good news?" I asked as I picked up the phone. " Yes and a lot more." He responded, he went on to tell me what he had discovered. I could not believe what I was hearing. " Are you sure about this?" I asked in disbelief, " I already sent the evidence to your phone already." He told me and the call ended.My heart raced as I stared at the evidence on my phone. It was undeniable, the real culprit behind Sophie's situation had been revealed. Anger surged through my veins as I realized who it was. How could she have done this? I could not believe she had It in her to do something like that.The revelation left me stunned, unable to comprehend how someone so close could have orchestrated such a malicious act. Thoughts r
Chapter 160THE ATTACK..SOPHIE'S POVI could not believe my eyes with what I was seeing. I snatched the phone off her hands and read through hurrily. " What is this?" I asked turning to face her. " I don't know ma'am. I just saw it myself." She responded, looking confused as I was. I stared at the screen again, my mind racing to make sense of it. "This is quite unexpected," I muttered, still in shock.My heart sank as I read the alarming headlines on the news. "Why are we losing everything? What could have caused such a sudden downfall?" I exclaimed, turning to my secretary for answers. She looked just as perplexed as I felt, her eyes scanning the reports in disbelief. Our stocks had plummeted, and clients were abandoning us left and right. Panic began to creep into my voice as I demanded an explanation for this unexpected turn of events." How is this happening, Get me my phone." I screamed at her and she rushed to go bring me my phone. Fear gripped my heart as I contemplated the po
Chapter 159REKINDLED LOVESOPHIE'S POVAs Karl stared at me, I moved uneasy turning my gaze from him. Karl noticed I was reluctant to give him a positive response and just stared at me blankly. " Sophie, please look at me," he shook me as he held my hands. " Please, I beg you." He said turning my face with his hands to look at him. " I love you and I will wait, however long it takes for you to love me back." Karl's unwavering determination finally broke through my walls and as I stared at him, I could not help but notice how handsome he looked. He was cute and my lips craved to meet his as he spoke softly.Despite my initial hesitation, Karl persistance made me helpless. " How could I resist him when he was always here." But after everything that had transpired, I couldn't bring myself to enter into another relationship so easily. Yet somehow, as Karl gently held my hands and gazed into my eyes with sincerity, all control slipped away. " Karl," I called out softly and his grip ti
Chapter 158I WANT YOU..KARL'S POVNo matter how hard I tried I could not seem to understand why Sophie continuously pushed me away. "Did she think I was not good for her?" I thought to myself, I was not so sure what she wanted. I had grown to love her and the more I tried to get close to her after confessing my love, the more she drifted away from me and continued to ignore my advances. " What was I going to do?"I asked myself and decided to talk to Max about it.I called for Max and he came into my office to see me. " I need your help." I told him, exhaustion evidenced in my voice. With the look on Max's face, I knew he was puzzled with what I needed his help for." What do you need?" He responded almost immediately, determination in his voice. Max was the person I called to resolve my emotional issues. He was really good at fixing the problem." It's about Sophie." I said, worry itched in my voice. " What about her?" He asked curiously as he stared at me waiting for answers. " I
Chapter 157IS THIS REAL?SOPHIE'S POVStaring at the message from Claire on my phone screen, disbelief washed over me like an icy wave crashing against my heart. "Is this real?" I questioned myself quietly. We had drifted so far apart that even imagining a conversation seemed impossible. Yet here she was, reaching out for reconciliation when everything felt irreparable just moments ago." This can't be true right?" I muttered to myself not wanting to believe what I had just seen. I read the message repeatedly, " was this a scheme?" I asked myself unsure of what to believe.A mix of skepticism and curiosity swirled inside me as I contemplated whether or not to give her another chance. " Was it worth it?" I thought to myself as I stared at the message in front of me.After everything we had been through, all the hurt and pain, she expects me to just forgive and forget? A part of me wanted to ignore her message, to pretend like it never happened. But another part longed for closure, for
Chapter 156COMING FOR HER.CLAIRE'S POV" I sent the parcel. Ma'am. " Dave my dad's personal driver said, I had sent him to get a parcel to Sophie earlier that day. I had planned to threaten her and then get her out of my life completely.Even though I had just been discharged from the hospital and was just recuperating, I could not find the time to rest as the thought of Sophie bothered me. Imagine how fast she took over everything that belonged to me. I was determined not to sit and watch her ruined everything in my life. Everything I had worked for.The pain in my heart was unbearable, as I watched how in a short time, Sophie had managed to make every thing that was once mine, hers. My heart burned with a fiery determination for revenge. Sophie had taken everything from me - my family, my company, my kid and my happiness. But now it was time to turn the tables. "Arrrrgh, I hate her." I screamed as I slammed the table and chattered the stuffs on the table in annoyance. As everythi
Chapter 155 THE THREAT RYAN'S POV I could not believe anyone could find us there, my mind wondered to how the police could invade that place as they took me out. I was still in a state of shock as they led me away, and I couldn't help but think about what would happen next. My heart was racing, and I knew that my life was about to change in ways I couldn't yet imagine. " How did this happen?" I worried as the sound of handcuffs clicking shut echoed in my ears as the police officers escorted me out from our hidden refuge. My mind raced with questions—how did they find us? Who betrayed our trust? A surge of anger coursed through my veins as I caught sight of our meddlesome neighbor standing there, a smug smile playing on his lips. I glared at him with pure hatred, wondering how he could do such a thing. And then, as I was being led away, I vowed to myself that I would find a way to get to the bottom of this. " You fool!!" I exclaimed angrily as I tried to walk to his directi