Alexander Burke~•~I nodded and took a sip from the glass of water on the table. Just as I was about to stand up from the chair, I got a text from Sandra. [ You have to come to the hospital right now.] Arthur noticed the worried look on my face and gently nudged me. “What is going on? What did you see on your phone?”I gave him the phone because I was still trying to figure out why Sandra would send me such an urgent message. Was Jason in danger or something? I guess I didn’t have time to rest anymore. Even if there wasn’t an emergency, I still needed to have a conversation with Sandra. “I’ll go upstairs and change,” I said as Arthur returned the phone to me. “Yeah, I’ll be waiting here. We’ll go to the hospital together.” Arthur gave me a reassuring look and I responded with a sigh. I was really exhausted from everything that was going on. I hadn’t even been to the office in two days. When I went upstairs, I ran into Tricia in the hallway. “Hey, what is going on?” She asked, r
Alexander Burke ~•~Arthur was shocked when I told him the entire story about what Sandra did. Initially, I didn’t tell him about what happened with Diana. But as we ate breakfast at a nearby restaurant, I filled him in on everything. “They really got some balls,” Arthur responded with an unbelievable scoff. “So how do you plan on dealing with them?” I sighed, leaning back into the chair. “I’ll speak to the doctors before pressing charges against the nurse,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “As for Sandra, as soon as Jason is fully recovered, I’m reporting her to the police.” Sandra had caused a lot of problems but she somehow managed to get away with it. It was going to be different this time because I wasn’t planning to let her go freely. Did she think I was that gullible? I caught her lie and she went ahead to lie about it again, trying to manipulate me. Even if Diana hadn’t called me to inform me about Sandra’s plans, I still wouldn’t have believed this story she c
Olivia ~•~I couldn’t help but feel like my love life was damaged. I couldn’t bring myself to trust anybody again. I loved the time I spent with Maxim. I loved how he made me feel beautiful and seen. I loved the attention he gave me. I loved how effortlessly our conversation flowed but I couldn’t agree to having a second date with him. He was disappointed but grateful that I reached out to him. The person he was meant to be grateful to was Maya. It was Maya who literally forced me to give him a chance and go out on a date with him. Everything turned out nice but I couldn’t picture myself falling in love with another person. I had my fair share of romantic relationships with Ethan and Alexander. And both of them didn’t end well. I didn’t think I had it in me to be involved in another romantic relationship. However, Maxim promised to wait for me until I was ready and suggested that we could be friends. Throughout the time we spent together, I didn’t even ask him anything about hi
Olivia ~•~“The driver is here already. Are you ready to leave?” I asked Maya who was washing her hands inside the bathroom. “The luggage is already in the car.” “I’ll be out in five,” Maya yelled loud enough for me to hear. As I waited for her to come out of the bathroom, I started reminiscing about our trip. I was a little bit sad that it had to come to an end. But I was glad because I was going to see my babies. One week felt like an eternity without them. It was a good thing Maya had planned a lot of activities to make the trip interesting. A few minutes later, Maya walked out of the bathroom. “I’m ready to leave.” She said with a huge grin registered on her face. “Shall we?” She picked up her bag and gestured to the door. I nodded my head, offering her a small smile. “Sure.” I trailed behind her as we made our way to the elevator. I was going to miss Maya so much. Sometimes, I wish we lived in the same city. Soon enough, we were settled in the car and were on our way to t
Olivia~•~“Mama!” Riley and Rowan didn’t even wait for me to get to the car before screaming and running to me. They engulfed me in a tight hug. I laughed as I looked at Amanda who was running behind them. She wanted to make sure that they were both safe. They insisted on picking me up at the airport. “Oh my babies, I’ve missed you so much,” I said as I wrapped my hands over their tiny shoulders. “How have you guys been?” “I missed you, mama,” Riley said as she clung tightly to my waist. “We’ve been good.” She added, her voice soft. Rowan chimed into the conversation. “I missed you more, mama. I’m glad you’re back.” I felt so happy. I was glad to see my children after one week. I had never been separated from them for so long before. They released themselves from my body after a long hug. Then I turned over to Amanda who was staring at us with a proud smile registered on her face. “Hey, I missed you too.” “Welcome back home!” She responded with a smile. I held the kid's hand
Olivia ~•~I sat at the cafe, my eyes darting back to my wristwatch at intervals. I was getting impatient as I waited for Sandra to arrive at the cafe. At some point, I was even second-guessing my decision to meet up with her. I had a lot of things to do and she pleaded with me to spare her some time. Now, I was already at the location but she was nowhere to be found. I had also tried calling her multiple times but she didn’t answer her phone. It was already getting late and I couldn’t wait any longer. I had ordered a cup of coffee to keep myself busy, so I stood up and made my way to the counter to pay before leaving. After paying, I was headed for the door when I saw Sandra hurriedly walking towards the transparent glass door. I paused and waited for her to walk inside. “I’m so sorry, please don’t leave.” Sandra apologized and gestured for me to walk to an empty booth with her. I hesitated at first but she kept on pleading.“Fine,” I muttered under my breath as we walked to th
Olivia ~•~I stared at the invitation card lying on my bedside drawer, contemplating if I should accept the invitation or not. The kids spent the weekend with their father and handed me an invitation card when they returned. “Daddy said you should have this and keep an open mind.” I laughed as Riley’s words replayed in my head. She sounded so serious and I was curious to know what was inside the envelope. But I tossed it in the drawer when I realized that it was an invitation to his company’s charity event. Someone I didn’t like was going to be present, so I felt I didn’t need to attend. Alexander and I were cool though but he knew inviting me to the event was a huge ask. That was why he didn’t give me the invitation himself. He had to send it through my daughter so I would find it difficult to decline the offer. Our relationship was strained before but after I reached out to him during the incident with Sandra, we kept in touch more often. Initially, I didn’t want to reach out
Olivia ~•~As I ushered the kids into the back seat of the car, Riley reminded me that I hadn’t given her an answer. It was then it dawned on me that I didn’t call Alex again after he didn’t respond to the first call. He didn’t call me back either. Riley wasn’t letting me go without an answer, so I had to give her one. “Tell your daddy that I’ve accepted the invitation but he doesn’t need to send me a dress.” I closed the door and made my way to the driver’s seat. Just as I started the car engine, Riley continued. “Why?” She asked, her voice was laced with a hint of surprise and disappointment. “But the dress is really really pretty.” “He already bought the dress?” I muttered to myself, shocked by the revelation. I turned around and looked at Riley. “I already have something beautiful to wear.” But Riley wasn’t having it. “It would be rude not to accept it.” She countered, her tone defensive. “I’ll tell him you are excited to see the dress.” I let out a defeated sigh. “Fine, y
Mason Craig ~•~I had tried calling Riley earlier when I saw her calls but she didn’t respond. Initially, I felt she was upset because she felt I was ignoring her, but I chose to believe that she was asleep. I was washing my face in the bathroom when I heard my phone ringing. I had been expecting Riley’s call, so I rushed outside to take my phone. As I saw Riley’s name flashing across the screen, I let out a relieved sigh. “Hey.” She greeted me with a low voice. I apologized for missing her call and told her about how I tried calling but she didn’t respond. Surprisingly, she was not upset and was okay with it. Before I could ask her about the reason she called, she started talking. She wasn’t happy with the fact that my father refused to debunk the rumors and wanted me to convince him to accept her father's terms. Apparently, that was the only way she would believe that I wasn’t part of my father’s schemes. The call was a brief one because she hung up as soon as she passed her m
Chapter 230Riley Burke ~•~We were talking about random stuff, and then out of the blue, she stared at me and asked. “I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while. Have you met someone new? Are you seeing anybody?” “Emm… huh? Wha….” I stuttered as I tried to form a coherent sentence. I had no idea why I found it difficult to answer her question. It wasn’t like I ever kept my love life a secret from my mother, her question just caught me off guard. My mother was always the first to know whenever I got into a relationship or met someone new. But this time, her question felt like a trap. What if she knew about me and Mason and was just asking to see if I would tell the truth? But there was actually nothing going on between Mason and I. I mean. We hadn’t even gone out on a date. I wasn’t even sure I really liked him or wanted to date him. He just talked to me and sent me a gift basket. I let out a deep breath and cleared my throat. “I’m not seeing anybody,” I replied, my voice st
Riley Burke ~•~I called Mason’s phone severally but he didn’t answer. I was upset for a moment but I decided to calm down. I figured he would be busy with his family, due to everything that was happening. Or he could be asleep because the day was already dark. After tossing my phone on the bed, I decided to rest my head for a few minutes. But the next time I opened my eyes, I saw that it was morning. Sunlight streamed through the window, making me realize I hadn’t closed the curtains before I slept off the previous night. I blinked repeatedly as I tried adjusting to the brightness coming through the window. Letting out a loud yawn, I sat upright on the bed and reached out for my phone on the scattered sheets. As I picked up my phone, I glanced over the screen to see what time it was. But I realized I had gotten a lot of calls from Mason. I was deeply asleep and didn’t hear when the call came in. I contemplated returning the call but it was too early. I decided to wait for a l
Mason Craig~•~A few moments later, I heard a loud bang on my door, followed by my mother’s angry voice. “Mason Craig! Why did you choose to betray our family?” I had no idea how long I had been asleep for but I jerked back to reality after I heard those words come out from my mother’s mouth. I stood up from my bed immediately and walked to the door. My mother had a disappointed look on her face as the door swung open. “What are you talking about?” I asked, my brows etched in confusion. “So you decided to tell your little girlfriend about what we did? You decided to snitch and betray your family?” She questioned, her voice laced with disdain. My eyes were still thick with sleep and it took me a minute to process what she was talking about. “What do you mean? What girlfriend? I didn’t say anything to anybody.” I responded, my tone defensive. “Oh please!” She waved her hands violently in the air. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. Follow me downstairs, your fa
Riley Burke ~•~After I was done talking to Mason, I went to meet Rowan because he asked me to meet him after my class. We were meant to go back home together. He was waiting for me in the driveway. I settled down in the front seat of the car and fastened my seatbelt. As we drove back to the house, I contemplated telling Rowan about the situation with Mason. But I wasn’t sure if I should say anything. Rowan would be so upset and probably tell my parents about it. I didn’t know if I wanted anybody to know what I knew Mason personally. It was best if I kept it away from them for a while. After an exhausting drive, we arrived at the house. “Is Belle still pissed at you?” I asked Rowan as we both stepped out of the car.He shook his head. “Yes, I messed up big time and I’m not sure she’ll forgive me easily,” Rowan admitted, running his hands through his hair. My lips parted and I blinked. “What? How did you mess up?” My curiosity got the best of me and I couldn’t resist asking him
Mason Craig~•~After Riley left, I remained in the office for a few more minutes. I needed some time to think and clear my head. I was certain that Riley didn’t believe anything I said and I had no idea how to make her see that I was being completely honest with her. Even if she eventually comes around, things will still be weird between us because of my parent’s behavior. After meeting so many shallow people, I finally found someone worth starting something with again. But it was already crumbling before it could even start. I didn’t have any other classes, so I decided to head back home. I locked the office and made my way back to my car. My uncle was a professor at the university, so he gave me a spare key. He asked me to go there whenever I needed a break from the crowd. He was one of the reasons why my father allowed me to attend Columbia University. He wanted me to go to a different country for college, but I didn’t want to go far away. Most times, I do regret my choice. I
Riley Burke ~•~I was already pissed when I saw Mason walking into the class. But his stupid text only fueled my irritation more. He still had the guts to ask if he did something wrong. Whenever I was upset and couldn’t do anything about it, my legs automatically started shaking. Liam noticed and tried his best to calm me down.I hated the fact that I was about to crash out in public. At first, I didn’t want to respond to his text. But out of annoyance, I responded to him and then blocked his number afterward.I didn’t want him to contact me anymore.After what felt like an eternity, the class was finally over. At one point, I even wanted to walk out of the class, but Liam persuaded me to stay. As everyone left the class, I wanted to rush out before Mason could get the chance to speak to me, but he was faster than me. I knew I wanted to have a conversation with him to demand answers but I wasn’t interested anymore. My daddy was going to take care of everything. “What do you want
Mason Craig ~•~After thinking about what to do for a while, I decided to tell Riley about it. I could imagine how devastated she would be if she found out about it from someone else. I didn’t want her to think I was part of it in any way. I knew telling her was me betraying my parents, but I didn’t care. The truth was going to come out eventually. I didn’t want it to look like I was enabling their behavior. At first, I wanted to call Riley and talk to her about it over the phone, but since we had a class together later in the day, I decided to leave it. I would have a conversation with her after our class. A few hours later, it was time for me to leave for school. I was already running late, so I grabbed my keys and bag before rushing down to the car. While I was on my way to school, I couldn’t stop thinking about the damage my parents had caused. They were so hungry for power and success, it wasn’t healthy. Even if they were giving me the silent treatment, I was still determ
Riley Burke ~•~As I got to school, I contemplated going back to my dorm room or going to class. I wasn’t sure I was in the right head space to see Mason. My mind was spinning with different thoughts and I was laced with anger. I couldn’t believe someone would betray me like that. I felt so stupid and used. I didn’t even know what to say to him. As I stepped out of the car, I decided to call Harper first to ask if she was in the room. I didn’t want to go to meet in an empty room, it would just fuel my frustration more. Harper didn’t answer her phone. I was guessing that was in class and couldn’t take the call. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I decided to call Amelia instead. I let out a relieved sigh when Amelia answered on the first ring. “Hey, what’s up? Are you in class?” I asked with a hint of urgency in my voice. “No, I’m in the dorm room.” She replied. “What’s going on?”I didn’t want to talk on the phone. “You’ll see me soon.” I ended the call and made my way to the dorm