Annabelle's POV"Jackson? What are you doing here?" my little boy was walking gently like an easy god. His appearance was quite different from what I have always seen. His eyes looked Piercy like he was looking for something to bounce on and pinch it effortlessly."Mum!" His voice sounded so pleasing that I caught him in my embrace. his beautiful voice I’ve heard for less, since the party ended and now he is in the company, roaming around the office area. He might have passed by those securities, or did father bring him in? "I was looking for grandpa. He told me to wait outside that door but he disappeared and I couldn't find him anymore, so I wanted to see if he was around anyway.""Oh! you shouldn't be walking around like this, look at your hair." I fixed his rough looking hair,"You both have met each other.""Dad, you brought Jackson to the office?""Yeah, he missed his mother he could not see before going to bed.""Grandpa is right, I miss you mum.""That's sweet of you, baby. D
Chapter 11 Annabelle’s POV I was impatient to know what contradicted between Henry and Travis even though I refused to show up at the meeting. I walked down to Henry's office to ease the suspense I was experiencing. "Hey, how did it go?" I asked, flashing him an innocent smile just to hide my curiosity. "It didn't go well." He responded in a lower tone. "Why?" "Travis was so disappointed that you weren't there, he was not active so I canceled the meeting and reschedule it. There is no way I would be talking to myself." He narrated out of frustration, there was a frown registered on his face. I smiled as the words pleased my soul. "Sorry about that." "Thank you, I know you are happy but don't laugh here." He warned, that made me burst into laughter. He gave me a bombastic side eye, so I walked out of his office immediately. The last thing I would do is to have a meeting with him, it is evident enough that he wants me to get involved and I’m not ready to. I headed straight to
Chapter 12Annabelle's POV My thoughts are now shifted from dealing with Travis to raising the company far and higher than it is. It's the only way I can get ahead of Travis and beyond. Henry wasn't in support of it but I'm pleased and that's all that matters to me. I'm too filled to even remember my son wanted an ice cream. I sat to think a bit, the rest of day is done and I have to be home, Jackson's got to see his mum have time for him. “Dinner? To soothe you a bit. Send a message if you want to meet, or not.” I stared at the message that popped out on the screen of my phone. “I never get to breathe?” I said to myself. My head whooshing, getting all red painted but I could still let off some steam.“Harry grill cutties…meet me there.” Henry sent back a message to acknowledge he got the message. Sometimes I just laugh at myself and breathe heavily, I'll definitely make it out and show the Smiths what I'm made of. I kept my thoughts on a steady spot,walking to my father's offi
Chapter 13Annabelle's POVI don't know what went wrong, he could have just asked me to stay back if he couldn't take care of him. “Dad? His head was faced down on the table. He gently raised his head up,his face filled with fury. “Dad, what's the matter?” “Don't stand there, asking me unnecessary questions.” He barked at me. I was fear locked when he said that. My heart shifted it got me scarier. “Dad.” I said, softly. “You didn't tell me you'll take the company into family business.” “Family business? Dad, I don't understand.” I cried.“Why did you join in with Travis? Uh? Answer me!!” His hands banged hard on the table. I could feel the fury in his voice. He was really disappointed. “You are the CEO of the company and if anything goes wrong, you'll answer for it.” “Dad!” I moved closer to him, hoping he'd stay calm and listen to me. “Dad, listen, I'm not letting him in because I want to be with him again. I just wanted to raise the company's welfare.” I explained. “So wh
Author’s POV “This is a space everyone respects so much. We have to address the truth here this morning. Everyone should gather their desire to work for this great company diligently, because so far, we have been the most recognized and famous company. The NHS has been working round the clock to provide so much and certain figures of services to others, likewise uncountable services to those that ask for it. So, this morning is a big day to start with. The ongoing Skyline project has been taken care of by our amiable CEO who has shown her diligence to work, making things right. Miss Annabelle, you are welcome.” Everyone clapped and cheered the speech given by Henry who particularly was interested in not giving up the sight of the company’s achievement. I walked up to the stage with ego. Travis was looking straight at me; his gaze was fixed on me. I almost felt nervous as he didn’t take his eyes off, I turned my face to Henry who moved closer to me and gave me a big hug. “Thank you
Annabelle’s POV The whole hall was musical and lively, I noticed Travis stepped in behind us all the time. I went closer to my father and whispered in my ears. I was ready to make things worse for Travis but he’s been quiet all this time like a child that has no friends or parents awaiting him at home.“Alright, get him up on the stage for a better introduction. There should be a proper welcome.” “Yes, dad.” “Yes! You all should meet Travis Smith. He’s part of us now.” I said, like I’ve accepted his shit back. After all, it was my intent to knock him down. Everyone stood up to give a clap as he walked forward. I still do not understand why he’d go outside to hide himself. I smiled, clapping along with others while he came on stage. I gave him a handshake and he refused to let my hands go until I shoved him away.“Come out with me.” I hinted at him with a quick word from my mouth and my head given sign language. First, his face looked funny, he had this silence in him which I thou
Author’s POV“I'm not showing up anywhere. You do your thing.” “Travis, you can't do this.”“Oh! Yes I can do it.” Travis hung up before Samantha could even say anything again. “What is wrong with you both?” “She's been nagging and I can't take it anymore.” Travis complained. “Then you should take it easy with her.” “Samantha doesn't like it easy. So, I'll just give her the hard way.” “You don't have to be cruel, Travis.”“I'm just avoiding trouble. See she took the sketch I made for the project. It starts soon, they'll launch it along with the company's new project and if that is done, we'll definitely be the face of NHS also. I don't know why she won't understand all of this.” Travis kept ranting about Samantha's misbehavior. It was making him go crazy that he felt like killing her. The impact Sam made was nothing than trouble ever since she came back. Things grew so worse that Travis spent a whole two weeks with his parents untill he decided to go back home. He made and pla
Chapter 17 Author’s pov. Travis scoffed. “Not at all, I'm not going to jail. You can keep going”. Travis said as Henry went ahead to meet Annabel and the rest, leaving Travis behind. Travis’s eyes were so focused on the scene before him, that he was so confused and lost in thought about his ex-lover and her son. “Could Jackson truly be my son? No, he can't.” His mind was clouded with unsettling thoughts. “Annabella and I were together for 5 years, and never got pregnant” he muttered as his face flickered to a mixture of confusion and curiosity. “Or could Jackson be Henry's son?”, No, he can't be, Jackson behaves and looks more like me, not Henry”. “Wait, he must be my son because Jackson has never called Henry his dad before, but why didn't she tell me all this while?” Travis thought in his head. “Now I'm not only going to get Annabel back but first I would have to confirm if he is my son” he muttered as he nodded his head in determination. Travis knew that in other to get A
Epilogue Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Six Annabelle_ Months after the nightmare I had with Henry. I woke up in my new home with the perfect peace of mind I had always wanted. My life was in a better shape and even though It wasn't perfect, I was living the future I had always dreamed and hoped for. I stood in front of the large windows in the parlor, looked out of it and took a very deep breath. “Come back here! If I catch you, I will eat all your candy.” “You won't catch me then!” Johnson was running after Norah. It was not going to be my first time experiencing such as they have both been best of friends since we all moved in together. “I've told you two. No running around.” I said and shook my head. Travis was the one handling the major companies owned by my dad. He and my dad had become very close following the incident with Henry. Travis held his suitcase, walked down the stairs of our new home and said, “Anna, do you know where my car keys are? I couldn't find them
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Five Annabelle_ The tunnel led to one of the trees in the compound. I walked out of it and snuck to the back of the several police vans that were parked in the compound. I was on the lookout for Alex because I wasn't sure of who to trust. I saw Henry and hid behind the car. I couldn't afford him to see me and then come up with another lie that he wasn't the one behind my kidnap. Someone touched me from behind and I lost my breath for a while. I turned back slowly towards the person and found that it was Alex. I took a deep breath of relief and hugged him. “What happened?” He asked, concerned. I was still trying to get my breath, when he yelled, “Medics, medics.” And the whole attention drifted towards us. Immediately, I could see them putting handcuffs on his hands and leading him into the car like the criminal that he was. “Travis, Travis is badly injured. He has lost a lot of blood.” Those were the first words I said to Henry so they could go a
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Four Annabelle _Henry went out of the basement he kept us in. He went out through a different door this time. I saw him but I was not fully conscious.I didn't know what to do to get us out of his place but I knew that if we did not try to get help from the cops or whoever was around, things would get worse for us all and Travis could die.“Travis,” I called out to Travis who lay in his blood on the floor with his eyes swollen. I wasn't even sure if he was still alive. “Travis, can you hear me? Travis!” I yelled. I couldn't afford his death.“Yes, I can hear you.” He said in a very low voice. I knew he was losing a lot of blood and he was in severe pain.“Can you loosen me? I know it's hard for you to get up but if you can try, it would help us out. We can't stay here. Now is our time to get out of this house because I can hear people walking back and forth in his house. I'm sure they are looking for us.” I said to him to encourage him to get up. Travi
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-ThreeAnnabelle_All I saw was the blood of Travis spilling on the floor like someone had made an incision on a bottle.I picked a cloth that I saw in the room and used it to tie around his arm. I was very displeased with Henry as he stood and watched me take care of Travis' hands unremorsefully.“What has gotten into you? Why are you doing all this?” I asked with so much pain in my heart. I couldn't understand how Henry became the way he was all of a sudden.“Get back to your seat and tie yourself at this moment, Annabelle.” He yelled at me. “You should not have pushed me to the wall all these years. You are the reason why I'm like this. Yes, it's all your fault.”Travis tried to help himself up from the chair I sat him on so that I could help him with his hand and reduce his bleeding. The cloth I had used to tie his hand was filled in no time and I could see that Travis was losing a lot of blood at that time.“Let's take him to the hospital. You know he
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Two Travis_I broke into the house through Henry's kitchen window after I was sure he had gone out of the kitchen.I walked to the slap where knives were kept and I picked one very sharp one.“This should do a good job,” I said and hid the knife behind my back.“What you don't understand is, I'd catch a grenade for ya!” I could hear Travis as he sang in his voice to the song he played out. I used that opportunity to search around the room for any sign of Annabelle and Johnson.“Annabelle! Annabelle!” I whispered as I entered every part of the room downstairs.Then while walking on the corridor, I walked on a part of the floor that felt like something was beneath it.I went back to look at the stairs to be sure I could still hear Travis playing his song, which he was before I went down to check what it was.“This very strange man. Heaven knows where he kept Annabelle.” I tried to open the thing but I couldn't get how it was being handled. It had a complex
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty OneTravis_I received a call from an unknown number. It was very late at night. I had thought it was probably Annabelle because I had been expecting her to call me but I did not receive any calls from her.When I saw that it was unknown, I did not take the call because I was still hurting from the fact that Henry was playing the hero when he did not help to find Johnson at all from the onset. “He's my son. She's supposed to allow me to come along irrespective of what Henry was going to say or do. Don't I deserve to see him too?” I said to myself inwardly.Norah had slept off on my leg. We sat together in the parlor watching a movie.My phone kept ringing and ringing so I became forced to pick up the call. I did not say anything after picking up the call.“Can you hear me?” The person whispered and it made me curious. I placed Norah's head properly on the chair and stood up to receive the call in a place where she would not be disturbed.“Who is this?” I
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Annabelle_ I was scared that Henry might hurt me so I began to yell at him before he got closer to me, “Henry, what is wrong with you? Do not try anything funny. I'm warning you. You know how this will end. It will surely end badly for both of us. Just let me leave peacefully.” “You are not leaving through that door. Not today and not until you sign the wedding document.” He said and got closer to me. He pulled me with force to himself and began to kiss my body against my will. “Get off me! Get off!” He disgusted me but he held me so strong. It was very hard for me to move my body away from him. It was as though he wasn't the same Henry I had known. “Stop it, now!” I continued to shout at him but he would not let me go. I stretched my hand to reach the vase that was used to decorate his parlor. I was able to reach it and I slammed it on his head with all the force I had. I didn't know what to do next and he did not give me any option. All that was
Chapter One Hundred and Fifty NineAnnabelle_Brooklyn and I got to Henry's place very late at night. We had to drive for a long time for us to get to Henry's place. “Why does it look as if Henry is not around?” We were able to get into the house because the gate was not locked. “It's very strange that Henry's gate is open. He never opens his gate.” I said to Brooklyn who was driving the car.“Just be patient. It's late already and he was expecting you. So why wouldn't he leave his gate open?” I knew Brooklyn was tired of hearing all my complaints.“I don't feel good about this honestly. Something is wrong somewhere.” I said to Brooklyn, “Don't drive to the front of the building itself. Park around here.” Henry's compound had some gardens and big trees that one would go through before one would get to his house. I just wasn't comfortable with the way I felt.She sighed but did as I said.“I'd go in by myself alone. You should stay in the car in case anything bad happens.”Brooklyn ga
Chapter One Hundred and Fifty EightAnnabelle_Travis drove us into a very nice apartment that he said belonged to Samantha. It was a more beautiful apartment than the one that he lived in. “This apartment is nice. You guys could have lived here instead of where you're presently living though.” Brooklyn said. I was surprised she said that out loud so I turned to look at her.Travis smiled and said, “Well, Samantha loves her things to be perfectly the way she likes them. She fixed it several times, that's why it looks as good as this.” We got out of the vehicle and we could tell that Johnson was not in that building because everything there was so calm but we walked into it irrespective of how the environment felt, leaving Brooklyn and Norah alone in the car.Travis unlocked the door and led me into the room. “I don't think anyone is here at the moment but we can search the apartment to see if there might be any lead in the house,” Travis said to me as he walked into the living room