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
Olivia ~•~“Are you guys ready to leave?” I asked the kids as I walked pass their room. “We don’t have much time!” It’s been a rough week, with awkward silences and forced conversations. Riley and Rowan were still upset with me and it made me restless. I had been promising them a trip for a while, so I decided to take them somewhere for the weekend. I also wanted to use it as an opportunity to get away for a while. I decided to take them to California. I knew they grew up there and it wasn’t really an ideal vacation destination for them, but they were excited about it. I also felt the same way because I would get to see Maya again. With everything that was going on, I needed to be in a new environment. Even if it was just for the weekend. I already had our bags packed and loaded them in the trunk of the car. After a few more minutes, Riley and Rowan stepped out of their room, ready to leave for the airport. “Are you guys going to be mad at me forever?” I asked gently, my eyes d
Alexander ~•~[ I guess you are still giving me the silent treatment, I just want to let you know that I’m going away with the kids to California for the weekend.] I read Olivia’s text before tossing my phone on the bed. Olivia had been calling and texting for a while but I couldn’t bring myself to answer or talk to her. I was even surprised to see that she hadn’t showed up to the house unannounced yet. I had no idea what she wanted to talk to me about but I wasn’t ready to see her. The fact that she could even think that I had something to do with murder was haunting me. After everything we had been through all these years, I thought she knew me better than anybody else. But I was wrong, Olivia thought I was the worst person ever who was capable of doing vile things. I hated that I had to distance myself from the kids too but it had to be that way for now. I wanted to sort out everything that was going on before associating myself with any of them again. My decision was hurti
Riley Burke ~•~I felt better after Amelia and Harper called to check up on me. It was the weekend and we weren’t having classes, so they had gone back to their respective houses.Our group conference calls always lightened up my mood. After we rounded up the call, I made my way downstairs for dinner. Caroline volunteered to make dinner. For someone who barely cooks, she was a great chef and I was excited to try her food. As I stepped into the dining room, the aroma of roasted chicken filled the air and my stomach growled in response to the scent. I was hungry and couldn’t wait to eat. Everyone was already sitting on the table. “You’re finally done with your phone call?” Rowan asked as I sat beside him. A few minutes earlier, Rowan came to tell me that dinner was ready. I told him to hold on because I was on a call with my girls. I nodded. “Of course, I am.” My family and I engaged in a light conversation as we ate our meal. Every bite I took tasted heavenly and I couldn’t he
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