Olivia ~•~Alexander and I have been receiving threats for a while. There had been a lot of rumours and lies about the company and we had no idea how to stop it.At first, we brushed it off as mere gossip. But as the days turned into weeks, the rumors and the threats escalated, and we then realized it wasn’t just an ordinary rumor.Someone had deliberately set out to destroy the company’s reputation and we had no idea who was behind it. I knew it had something to do with a rival company. They’d stop at nothing to sabotage us because the company was thriving more than ever. They even went as far as to record false testimonies against the company. Alexander even had a meeting with his production team and they reviewed all the chemicals to make sure none of it was toxic. But still, the lies were spreading like wildfire. It wasn’t a good look for the company because people would be reluctant to purchase the products. Alexander and his team were trying their best to fix the situation.
Riley ~•~Throughout the ride to the hospital, my mind was racing with different thoughts. My parents wanted Rowan and me to stay back but we refused. I needed to be sure that Jason was okay. Why did anybody have to go after him? Everyone was panicking but my parents tried to keep it cool. Their composure was reassuring, but I could sense the worry beneath.One of the drivers always dropped Jason off at school and picked him up after because my father was meticulous about his security. Unlike us, Jason didn’t have a problem with the security. Yet, someone still managed to target their car. My heart sank at the thought. Why Jason? He was the last person who deserved this. The ride to the hospital was a short one but it felt like an eternity. As soon as my dad pulled up in the driveway, Rowan and I rushed out of the car. While growing up, we had no idea that Jason wasn’t actually my father’s biological son. But even when we found out about it, it didn’t change the fact that we lo
Mason Craig ~•~My friends always asked me what I saw in Riley. I know it’s cliche, but I’d say that it was love at first sight. The first day I set my eyes on her, I knew I wanted her in my life. I wasn’t the one to approach girls but I couldn’t help myself. It wasn’t just her beauty, though her long black hair and blue, confident eyes were enough to make anyone look twice. It was the way she moved—graceful, self-assured like the world couldn’t touch her. From the moment I saw her, I knew I couldn’t let her go. Father always said I needed a confident and strong woman by my side. She exuded the kind of presence my father always talked about. We only spoke in class, and even then, our conversations were brief, polite exchanges. I wanted more. I wanted to take her on a proper date and show her who I was beyond the lectures and group projects. But every time I tried, she brushed me off. I wanted that to change. It was even a hassle before she agreed to give me her phone number.
Riley~•~I had no idea how I had slept off the previous night. As soon as my eyes fluttered open, I climbed out of my bed and ran outside my room to Jason’s room. I wanted to check if he had returned from the hospital. But as I got there, his room was unlocked and there was nobody inside. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I went to check my parent's room and I still saw an empty room. Then, I decided to check Rowan’s room. I knocked on the door multiple times before he finally responded. “Hey.” He whispered in a slightly groggy voice as he opened the door. “Did you hear from Mama yesterday? Is Jason okay?” I asked, my voice laced with a mixture of fear and curiosity. “I had no idea when I slept off, I wanted to wait until they arrived.” Rowan let out a deep sigh, running his hands through his hair. “Jason is doing fine but he still needs to stay at the hospital for a while to undergo some treatment.” I let out a relieved sigh as I heard Rowan speak. “Mama called yesterday but you d
Riley~•~My brows knitted in a frown and my brother and mother noticed the uncomfortable shift in my expression. “Is everything alright?” My mother asked and I shrugged. “Someone sent me a text, saying that the dean wants to see me,” I responded, my mind racing with different thoughts. What had I done to attract the dean's attention? I have never been to the dean’s office since I started college. “Don’t be worried, maybe he just wants to talk about something. You haven’t done anything wrong, right?” My mother asked, raising a brow at me. I nodded my head. “Yes, I haven’t done anything wrong.” I tossed my phone back into my bag. “Maybe he wants to talk about the situation concerning the reporters.” Rowan, who had been quiet, finally chimed into the conversation. “Maybe. I just hope he would be reasonable about it and not end up making it your fault.” “I’m sorry you guys have to go through all these things.” My mother’s tone softened with sympathy. “I’m even surprised that they ar
Riley~•~As I walked into class, I held my head high. The stares started the moment I entered. Whispers buzzed around me but I pretended like I didn’t know. I ignored them. At least I tried. My eyes scanned around the classroom and I let out a relieved sigh when I saw Liam sitting at our usual spot. I clenched my jaw as I walked over to the seat near the window. “Hey,” I said as I settled down beside Liam. Liam was my friend I met on my first day of college. Most people didn’t like me because of my status but Liam made being in class bearable. Most of them still flashed fake smiles at me but I always heard the cruel things they always said about me. Either way, I didn’t care about them because I couldn’t let myself get bothered by the opinions of strangers who knew nothing about me. “I heard what happened yesterday, are you good?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.I nodded my head. “Sure, it’s not like it’s the first time I’m being harassed by the paparazzi,” I added
Mason ~•~ I was having car issues in the morning, so I ended up going late for my class. The professor had already started the lecture when I walked into the class. As I made my way to my usual spot, I scanned through the crowd to see if I could find Riley. My lips curled into a small smile when I saw her sitting close to the window. But my happiness was short-lived. Normally, Riley would smile, maybe even wave, when she saw me. But this time, she deliberately avoided eye contact with me, her gaze remained on her notebook as if I didn’t even exist. I felt a little bit hurt but I continued walking to my seat and acted like nothing happened. As I settled down in my seat, I tried to focus on the lecture but my thoughts were elsewhere. Had I made a mistake? Maybe she didn’t like the gifts I sent to her. I should’ve known better. Or maybe I should’ve thought of something else. Or nothing at all. I could only hope I hadn’t ruined my chances with her by sending her those g
Mason Craig ~•~I sat in the living room after dinner, waiting for my parents to arrive. I found it weird that they hadn’t returned from work because they always came back in time for dinner. The sound coming from the television was too loud and I had no idea when the front door creaked open. As I looked up, I saw that my parents were already back from work. “Did you end up fixing your car or did you drive a different car today?” My father asked as he settled down beside me. I turned down the volume of the television and turned to them. “I drove another one today,” I answered, my voice strained. “We had a long day today, I hope you enjoyed dinner without us.” My mother chimed into the conversation and I responded with a nod. I wanted to talk to them about something. I knew they were going to be defensive about it, but I couldn’t help but ask. “What’s the name of the company that you guys recently tried to sabotage?” I asked, raising a brow at them. Their brows knitted into a f
Mason Craig ~•~My father was really pissed when Big Mama called him and asked to do want the Burke’s company wanted. He was even more pissed because he knew we were the ones behind it but he couldn’t do anything about it. After he agreed to make an apology post, he called all his staff for a meeting. My father didn’t want to completely taint his image, so he asked one of the staff to take the fall. One of them agreed because they were going to be compensated. They wanted to lie to the public that my father didn’t have anything to do with it and was just realizing the person behind it. I felt bad for the people who volunteered themselves, but some people had financial problems and would do anything to make some extra cash. It was a good thing he didn’t force anybody. The meeting ended and they recorded an apology post and also debunked the rumors. But they had to send it to Riley’s father for approval before releasing it online. A part of me was relieved because everything was
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