Olivia ~•~Everything felt so surreal. It was just like yesterday when I packed my entire life and moved back to New York with the kids. But in reality, it was actually a year. As I sat down on my bed, I couldn’t help but reflect on everything that had happened during this time frame. I had gone through so many challenges but somehow I was still standing. I was so proud of myself and how far I had come. I started my career from scratch but I was still able to build something great for myself. I was grateful for everything. The sound of my buzzing phone interrupted me from my thoughts. I picked it up to see it was Alexander. The kids had spent the night at his house for a sleepover to celebrate Jason’s birthday. I felt bad for Jason because his mother wasn’t present to celebrate his birthday with him. I also felt bad for Sandra because she was apart from her son. Life would have been so much better if she hadn’t turned out to be a horrible person. We could have still been friend
Alexander Burke ~•~ Just as I turned around to welcome my parents, my dad’s husky voice broke from behind. “Why didn't you come with your wife?” I took a deep breath and before I could respond, my mother chimed into the conversation. “I hope we aren’t late for the wedding?” She asked, changing the subject. I shook my head, responding with a small smile. “No, ma. The wedding doesn’t start until noon.” I pulled my mother into a warm embrace before opening the trunk to allow the airport guards to help put the luggage in the car. When they were done, I tipped them before heading back to the driver’s seat. My parents sat in the back seat while Caroline sat in the passenger seat beside me. As soon as I drove into the city, Caroline began. “Can you believe Arthur is finally getting married after all these years?” She questioned, her voice laced with amusement. I laughed because everyone had the same reaction when it came to the news of his wedding. “It’s high time he settl
Olivia ~•~Who was this mystery man and how did he know about my father’s favorite flowers? I was too stunned to speak, so I was at a loss for words. David, on the other hand, wasn’t too stunned to ask questions. “Who are you and why are you bringing flowers to my father’s grave?” He demanded, his gaze piercing as he assessed the stranger.The man opened his mouth to speak but abruptly stopped, as though he was unsure how to respond. He placed the flowers beside ours, then he dipped his hands into his coat and brought out something small. It was a flash drive. He handed it over to David but my brother was hesitant to collect it from him. I was just watching in silence, trying to make sense of the whole situation. He gestured for David to collect it but he still didn’t move. “What is on it? And who are you?” David demanded with a hint of suspicion in his voice. The man didn’t answer. Instead, he turned toward me, extending the flash drive in my direction. Curiosity got the bette
Olivia ~•~“What are we going to do? We can’t just pretend that it didn’t happen.” David asked for my opinion when we were done listening to all the voice recordings. I exhaled heavily, the weight of the revelation pressing down on me. From what we had listened to, my father discovered a shady business in the Burke enterprise. He didn’t mention what it was about but he claimed he was being threatened because he wanted to reveal the truth to the public. He told his friends about what the family had said to him but claimed he wasn’t going to back down from his investigation. My father wasn’t part of the police department but for him to put his life in line just to expose them, it must’ve been something serious. My mind was racing with different questions. What was the shady business about? Why didn’t this mystery man give us these recordings as soon as my father passed away? Why didn’t my father say anything to us? It had to do with Alexander’s family and I had every right to know
Alexander Burke ~•~As I stepped onto the podium, ready to share my thoughts, I caught sight of Olivia entering the venue.I smiled as I saw her but my happiness was short-lived when I saw three policemen trailing behind her. A chill swept through me, I knew something was terribly wrong. My face formed into a confused frown when she continued walking in my direction. Did she come here to arrest me? What had I done? My mind raced with different possibilities but I couldn’t quite figure out what I had done to her. I couldn’t remember doing anything bad that would warrant an arrest. Not from Olivia. Not from anybody. As she reached the podium, she stepped aside and with a nod from her, one of the officers stepped on the podium. “Alexander Burke, you are under arrest for the murder of Robert Keatings.” My heart skipped a bit. “What? Mur…..murder? M….me?” I stuttered, unable to grasp the reality of the situation. The whole crowd gasped as the officer continued. “Whatever you say or d
Olivia ~•~I felt terrible having to ruin Arthur’s wedding. I wasn’t in the right headspace to go back to the station, so I asked David to go ahead alone. Then I booked a ride to take the kids back to my house. “Mama! Why did you bring those policemen to take Daddy?” Riley asked as we stepped out of the car. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my breath as I rummaged through my bag to find the key to the front door. I didn’t know what to say to Riley, so I just kept quiet, hoping she would forget about the question. But just as we stepped into the house and I closed the door behind me, Rowan spoke up. “Mama, you ignored Riley’s question.” He narrowed his eyes on me. Jason also chimed into the conversation. “Why did they take my daddy?” I thought about everything else but I forgot to think about how the kids would react after arresting Alexander in front of all the guests. They didn’t deserve to see him like that and I should’ve taken them somewhere else first before arresti
Alexander Burke ~•~I spent the night in jail. I had never spent a night in jail before but it happened for something I didn’t even do. After listening to all the voice recordings, I knew damn well that my father was involved in Robert Keating's death. No wonder he didn’t put up a fight when the officers took me away. He knew he was guilty, so he had to stay calm to find a way to find a way to make everything go away. I had no part in it but I was the one paying the price. Just because I took over the family business. I didn’t blame Olivia for her actions but I was still disappointed that she didn’t come to me first before doing anything. I was disappointed that she would embarrass me in front of the kids and Arthur’s guests. I was disappointed that she ruined Arthur’s wedding. At least, I now knew the reason behind her actions. But I still had a bigger question that my father refused to give me the answer to. What was Olivia’s father trying to reveal? What shady business was
Alexander Burke ~•~I was released on bail since they didn’t have concrete evidence that it was me who committed the crimes. However, that didn’t mean the case was closed. There was an ongoing investigation and the police didn’t fail to remind me that they would be conducting another arrest whenever they finished their investigation. Arthur was the one who picked me up and drove me back home. I felt a little bit relieved but I was still restless. As soon as I stepped foot into the house, the first person I saw was Tricia. “What is going on, Alexander? This news doesn’t look good for my project.” She asked, her voice cracking slightly. I responded with a scoff, the irritation bubbling up before I could stop it. How selfish could she be? I spent the night in jail and she couldn’t even care to ask if I was okay. She was only concerned about her project that I had no business with. “You and your family blackmailed me with something. You forced me into this mess of a marriage, knowi