RICHARD YUKA'S POV,Everyone was already seated by the time I entered the boardroom with James. A thick silence hung in the air, as every gaze except Leonard's lingered on me, his expression - a mask of indifference."I'm so sorry I'm late," I said, swiftly apologizing as I settled into my armchair. I knew I had to project good behavior in front of the shareholders, to win their support and confidence.Mr. Gerald - the fourth largest shareholder let out a grunt, his eyes rolling in disgust, his expression a palpable manifestation of his displeasure. I wasn't surprised by his attitude towards me, since he had always been loyal to Leonard. As if that wasn't enough, he continued,"You young stars tend to forget the essence of time," a stern look on his face as he spoke, his voice firm and disapproving, "It's a luxury that should be spent wisely. Being late to a meeting like this only reveals how little you esteem your position and how poorly you value our time." He lectured, his voice h
LEONARD KISH'S POV,As I walked back to my office, I felt a renewed sense of energy coursing through my veins, invigorating my entire being. With each step, my determination grew, and I felt a greater vitality to pursue my goals with renewed passion and focus.My satisfaction at gaining the shareholders' support was evident in my strides. Although I'd never doubted my abilities, I couldn't help but feel a hint of skepticism, solely due to Mr. Ricardo's consistent and vocal opposition. His contrarian stance made me wonder if he'd ever truly agree to my proposal.No sooner had I settled into my armchair than I knew I had to tie up all loose ends regarding the deal. With the contract signing deadline looming, I felt a sense of urgency to finalize every detail, ensuring everything was in place for a smooth and successful conclusionWith the shareholders' permission secured during the meeting, I was eager to lay the groundwork, particularly in terms of finance. Since Richard was the head
ELSA ELKINS' POV,I emerged from the room to find Leonard standing right at the entrance, the look on his face was that of surprise mixed with shock, which amazed me.As I descended the staircase I felt his gaze lingering on me which made me wonder why he was staring at me. Unlike before, a barely noticeable smile softened his stern and hard features,But as I drew closer to where he was standing along Nanny Ruth, his expression turned grave as he seemed to snap out of his daze, his eyes - icy cold, and jaw - clenched, with an obvious frown masking his features,He walked away, his strides long and purposeful as his legs carried him upstairs. I wasn't surprised by the change in his expression since I was already getting used to his angry face,Without reading much meaning to it, I scurried towards Nanny Ruth whose face was radiant with a warm smile - a contagious smile that soon spread over my features."I'm glad you're beginning to feel at home," She said as the distance between us d
JESSICA ANNA YUKA'S POV,Coming to Leonard's place was my first step towards registering my presence in Elsa's heart. Since I had known Leonard's union with her was strictly business, I was ready to leverage on it.Elsa's indifference was a confirmation of Leonard's words, and the fact that Leonard didn't introduce her to me, made my heart swell with excitement. It was a testament of the relationship that existed between them, making me realize I had the upper hand.Right in Leonard's room, my laughter echoed loudly off the walls as we reminisced the past. Since Leonard had told me she occupied the opposite room, I wanted her to hear me. I wanted her to know that I was closer to Leonard than she was, and the only woman that could be in Leonard's life.Leonard led me to his cozy bar, where I settled onto a stool facing the cabinet that was stacked with an array of wines and spirits. The dimly lit room enveloped me in a warm embrace, setting the pace for a beautiful evening. I had plan
RICHARD YUKA'S POV,I came home that evening to find Mr. Ricardo sitting in the living room with my father. My eyes lit up at the glimpse of hope as a renewed surge of determination coursed through me.After the shareholders' meeting the previous day, I had been greatly disturbed by the look I had seen on Mr. Ricardo's face, especially since I was yet to know his stance. Given that he was a man who favors his own interests, the thought of his support faltering had been a pang in my heart, filling me with a great sense of uneasiness.The atmosphere was lively with the sound of their laughter echoing off the walls, and as I drew closer to them, I realized their discussion was about the company.Seizing the opportunity right before me, I took long steps towards them, my determination to uncover his stance propelled me forward.As soon as my father saw me, his voice rang out with a cheerful excitement, "Aha! You're back." He exclaimed, as if he had been waiting for me all along, although
MR RICARDO'S POV,My fists clenched tightly as my feet carried me out of Mr. Yuka's mansion. My teeth were gritted as the conversation with Mr Yuka replayed in my head. The fact that I was being threatened by him filled me with rage,I slipped into the backseat of my car and sank heavily on the seat. "What a jerk!" I muttered.My lips curled into a sly smirk and my eyes blazed with fury, as I dwelled on his empty threat. Since I was certain I was a step ahead of him, I had nothing to fear."Any news from the boys?" I asked Bobby, my trusted personal assistant and secretary, who was seated on the driver's seat with his usual gallant demeanor.Given that I had paid off his debt and rescued him from the hands of the tugs that had wanted him dead, he had undoubtedly remained loyal to me. Ten years had passed already and he had never ceased to prove his loyalty towards me."Yes Boss!" He responded with a deep husky voice. "They're on the move." He added firmly, his words dripping with con
RICHARD YUKA'S POV,I sat leisurely enjoying the drama as it gradually unfolded. That was the first time I had seen Mr. Ricardo's face without a smile.His anger was evident on his face as he stared at my father who clearly was enjoying himself. Who would have thought, the untouchable Mr. Ricardo with the gentlest demeanor could ever get angry?"Come on, Mr. Ricardo, let's have a drink," My father beamed casually, his words hitting off in a heightened pitch, oozing the contentment in his heart.He wasn't bothered about the look on Mr. Ricardo's face, and just like he had told me, he was in control, having Mr. Ricardo right in his palm.My father offered him a glass, pouring champagne into it as he spoke, which Mr. Ricardo accepted reluctantly. His hand draped over Mr. Ricardo's shoulders again, and he led him to the couch, making my lips curl.However, Mr. Ricardo didn't take a sip from his glass, not even after he was seated. It was clear he was more concerned about the issue on grou
ELSA ELKINS' POVRight inside my room, a wave of nostalgia washed over me as memories of my time with the children flooded my mind.Given that I had elapsed the one month leave I had taken from the Director of the orphanage, I couldn't wait to resume my job.My heart swelled with excitement as I took a glimpse of the days ahead. I knew resuming my job at the orphanage would make me scale over the three years I had agreed with Leonard without feeling the torture of a loveless marriage.As I pondered on it, I felt a great sense of determination, like adrenaline coursing through my veins, filling me with renewed strength and vigor to survive and get back my freedom.I was so engrossed in thought, when the rattling on the door came, snapping me out of my reveries.I slipped into my slippers as I came down from my bed; I was convinced it was Nanny Ruth who had come to check up on me since I had been in my room since the breaking of the day. Upon opening the door, I was stunned to find But
ELSA ELKINS' POV,"You went down with a fever, and he took care of you," she continued, but I only twitched my lips and forehead in response.As far as I was concerned he caused it, and it was only courtesy that he took responsibility for his actions. But whether he chose to or not, I didn't really care, nor was I grateful in any way.I was still savoring the soup when Nanny Ruth swiftly continued, "He barely had a good night's sleep in order to monitor the room temperature and adjust it to suit your temperature." She said, snapping me out of the thoughts that had kept me busy.But her words had no effect on my heart, not even did they inflict a scratch to the wall surrounding my heart. They felt like glass against my hardened heart, shattering into pieces as soon as they met."Sounds unlike him!" I managed to say, even without paying attention to what she had just said.But Nanny Ruth's lips spread into a broad smile as she swiftly continued, "You need to see him when he came back la
ELSA ELKINS' POV,My brows scrunched up as I gradually awoke, another day had come. Unlike before, I had lost the usual enthusiasm that had always accompanied my day.The room was shining brightly, but against my heart, which was filled with sorrow and sadness.It was a stark contrast to the gloom that had settled into the depth of my heart, and had overshadowed me. As my eyes gradually adjusted to the brightness of the day, a sharp pain pierced my head, and it banged so hard that I screwed my eyes shut, as though I was trying to shut out the pain.In that instant, the door slowly opened and Nanny Ruth walked in with a bowl of soup in her hands. "You're awake my child," She said, her voice as warm as the morning sun, but then, it lacked the efficacy to affect my heart like it had always done."Good morning Nanny Ruth!" I managed to say, my voice horse as I struggled to sit up, but as I did, a towel fell off my head which startled and surprised me.The surprise I had felt didn't las
LEONARD KISH'S POV,In that instant, something crept into my heart; a feeling I wasn't used to, and for the first time ever, I felt panicked.Determination out of nowhere surged within me, and I hurried down the stairs, my feet pounding with a fierce intensity as I rushed out to the living room,"Butler Joe!" I called, my voice ringing with a fierce determination that bounced off the walls. Immediately, his door swung open, and he dashed out of the room, stopping right in front of me like a bolt. He was panting heavily, and was trying to catch his breath."Young Master, you..." He was about to say when I swiftly interrupted him,"Where's Elsa?" I demanded, my voice firm and heavy as I stared at him. Butler Joe's mouth flew open immediately, and then he tried to say something, but nothing came out, he looked stunned. He was clearly surprised by my question, the look on his face spoke of the confusion in his heart. But then, his hesitation only fueled my growing desperation.I was r
LEONARD KISH'S POV,A renewed sense of exhaustion and weariness seeped into my bones as I arrived home later that evening.As I stood at the entrance of the mansion, scenes from earlier that day replayed in my head, and I recalled the harsh words I had said to Elsa.My brows furrowed immediately, as the weight of it all pressed heavily on my shoulders.As I pondered on it, I couldn't help but mutter to myself, "Well, it's her fault." But then, no matter how hard I tried to believe she was guilty, the heavy pang in my heart kept nudging at me, filling me with guilt.After struggling with myself for a while, I heaved a sigh and admitted, "I'll just try to make it up to her," Shrugging my shoulders as I tried to shove it off my mind, but the pang in my heart didn't lessen a bit, Instead, it grew heavier like a rock in the pool of my heart, even as I pondered on how to face her that evening.After about ten minutes of hesitation, I dragged myself inside and saw Nanny Ruth walking t
MR YUKA LEE'S POV, I recalled how I had always beaten her like the Monster I was, all because she had always stood against me and against my dream."I wish you never told her about your intentions of going into the drug business," those words out of nowhere whispered in my head, crushing my heart further."I never wanted to tell her about it; if she hadn't confronted me... if she hadn't called me greedy and spoken ill against my mother who had introduced it to me, she probably would have been alive by now," I said out loud, replying to the voice of accusation that had risen against me.But as my thoughts and the memories lingered, I realized I was being accused, and I wasn't going to bear the blame all by myself."No! You're accusing me. I didn't tell her. She went through my stuff! Get out of my head! She shouldn't have gone through my stuff; she wouldn't have found out and confronted me about it if she hadn't," I said, as the memories from that day replayed in my head.As it linger
MR YUKA LEE'S POV,"Why must I do what you asked me to do?" Richard's response came, his eyes blazing hot with a rage that was completely new to me, but at that moment, I was already too furious to contain my wrath. "What did you just say?" I snarled as it settled in my heart that he was angry because of a woman."Are you challenging me now?" I growled, my eyes wide open in a matching intensity.The thing I hated the most was being challenged, and that was exactly what he was doing.But the words had barely left my lips when Richard firmly replied, "Or else what?" He challenged, his teeth gritted, his lips quivering.At that moment, the beast in me roared like a wounded lion, struggling to let loose, and as I tried my best to seal it in, Richard's voice came again,"Should I remain silent just like my mother did and end up like her?" He asked, his voice quivering, his lips trembling with rage, fury glinting in his eyes.His question slammed into me like ice to my surging flames, damp
RICHARD YUKA'S POV, As soon as I left Sam, I sank heavily into the couch and filled my glass to the brim, while he sat there without uttering another word to me. I downed my drink, intending to get drunk, but no matter how many bottles I consumed, I remained sober as though I had just drank a jug of caffeine. It was something I had seen as an affliction since I was eight. I had been immune to alcohol after what happened that afternoon, which pushed me into drinking in hopes of getting drunk. At that moment, I wished I could just get drunk for a while and forget about the naggings from my father and the memories it had always left in its wake. After a while, I stood up and started walking towards the exit door, and James quickly followed. I didn't know how long I stayed out, but I stayed until I was ready enough to go back home. As we got to the car he opened the door, but I quickly stopped him. "I'll drive, go back on your own today," I said with a stern voice, and walked towa
RICHARD YUKA'S POV,"Hello!" I answered the phone, my tone cold and deep as I waited for his response,"Get back here immediately!" The angry voice of my father boomed into my ear, dripping with authority.In that instant, the dial went off ruffling my nerves. My lips twitched with a simmering fury as his words settled into my heart. My grip tightened around the phone, and my mind went blank immediately, my eyes locked in space and I seethed.My initial excitement completely disappeared and was replaced with a seething rage, and in that instant, James' voice broke into the fog that had settled around me."Boss!""Boss!!" James' voice nudged at my heart, gradually bringing me back to the present, "Boss are you okay?" He asked, his voice dripping with concern as he stared at me with furrowed brows.I turned to face him, seeing the concern etched on his face, "I am," I responded coldly, my voice tight with a surging rage, but as I stared at him, a thought crossed my mind."Was that yo
RICHARD YUKA'S POV,Although, I knew I got enchanted by her the first day I saw her, I wasn't oblivious to what I needed, and what was more important."So I wanted to kill two birds with a stone," I stated, and James' eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and confusion which made me scoff."Firstly, I wanted to check if it was true and then secondly, I wanted to drive a wedge between them if it was true!" I stated with a nonchalant air, shrugging my shoulders as I spoke, after which I took another sip.James chuckled lightly, the sound of which spoke of the disbelief in his heart as he stared at me in surprise."So, you mean you went through all that trouble just to do that?" He asked, his tone ringing with disbelief.As soon as I heard his words, I couldn't stop the scoff that escaped my lips. What does he know after all?"It's not a trouble at all, James; you just don't know anything," I replied, refusing to allow his words to downplay the effort I had put in."At least I succeeded