Joel kept staring as if he has seen a ghost. There was something about the woman he just saw. Sure she didn't have the same hair color as Estelle and her eye-lashes were longer and she was also dressed too extravagant but what he couldn't understand was the attraction he felt towards her. It was the same thing he felt for Estelle and he couldn't understand. She looked like her in a way and yet, so different.
Also, he couldn't believe Pierro Montanna and his wife, Adelaide Montanna was here. He has always wanted to meet Pierro. He was more of a role model to him and since the girl standing in front of him was his daughter as he said, it means it's not his Estelle. But wait, did he know her parents? What if?
"Joel!" Brittany yells, bringing him back to himself, but too loud, in that, it draws the attention of others, including Estelle and her parents, who looked in their direction.
"I've called you for the 7th time, she says with disappointment. He was supposed
Estelle felt her heart fall out of her chest, the moment she saw Joel walk out, hand in hand with Brittanny. She trusts him with her life but this? The shattering sound of glass fetched her back to reality, as the glass of wine she was holding had fallen out of her hand, making the shattering sound. She bent to pick it but was stopped by Anthony before two waiters came to clean up the mess."Are you alright?" She heard Anthony's concerned voice but she felt irritated instead.Nonchalantly, she responded, "Yes, am fine, thank you.""Should I get you another glass of wine? Anthony asked."No, I think I had enough wine.""That was the first glass of wine you had this evening. It's about the guy who just left, isn't it? His voice was laced with jealousy."What makes you think it's because of him?" She asked defensively."You never focussed on our conversation and kept stealing glances at him. Who is he to you?""I am very sorry
"It's him, isn't it?" Estelle thought to dig a pit and bury herself when she heard the deep voice behind her.""Who dad?" Estelle asked, swimming in embarrassment, as she tries to avert her father's piercing gaze, not knowing her father had seen everything that transpired, and also heard her conversation with her mum."Don't be silly, Estelle," He was irritated at her act. Her dad doesn't call her by her name so calling her name precisely only meant this was a matter of all seriousness."I honestly don't know what you are talking about." Estelle denies, lowering her gaze."Don't play smart with me, you silly girl. Do you think am dumb? I have observed how you kept looking at the guy my investee's daughter introduced as her boyfriend." His words were startling and Estelle didn't conceal her surprise and stood cold because she trusted Joel and wanted to hear his part of the story, before taking any decision."I also heard everything you said to your mum a
Joel sat on the edge of the bed, facing her directly. Estelle had more questions to ask but found it needless, remembering her phone had been switched off the entire time she was in Paris and didn't also call to tell him she had arrived. She had no one else to blame but herself. She felt Joel's face turn hard at the question which made her fidget like a little child.
At the Montana mansion, Joel waited nervously for her father-in-law to descend the stairs. He looked rather elegant in his white shirt and black suit, which could not cover his uneasiness. He could hear his heart beating rapidly.Estelle sat beside him in a knee-length, simple black dress and matching shoes. She looked beautiful but was lost in despair. She couldn't understand why it was taking her father this long to come down. They have been waiting for almost two hours and she had already gone to call him in twice. She knows that he did not like Joel, from what happened at the party but she had to do as he had asked her."No matter what happens, we are adults and we can make our own decisions," she whispered to Joel," who responded with a sigh.The living room in the Montana mansion was filled with all the luxuries from different countries. Joel, who was a lover of good things, made an exception this time. He couldn't bring himself to admire anything. The
Estelle turned around, giving her full attention to her dad. She glinted with hope, that he will change his mind."Don't do this. Anthony is a fine young man, who will take very good care of you. Don't waste your life away." Hearing her father's words destroyed her last bit of hope. So it was all because of Anthony. She turned around with disappointment and left without another word."She left, she left. You have to stop her". Mrs. Montana entreats her husband, seeing her daughter walk out the door with a stranger. Mr. Montana was indifferent to her plea. After all, he just wants to give her a good life. If she doesn't want it, he can't do much about it."Don't worry, she will come back. She can't be that stupid. She will soon realize her mistake and come begging." He said it confidently but there were traces of sadness poking his face. He was only trying to comfort her.Estelle and Joel checked into a hotel after booking the next available flight to New York
"Relax Dude, Paris is her home. She can never get lost if she wanted to. She just left everything and run off when she saw me approach the store". Anthony said absentmindedly.Joel stared at him for a while and without a word, he walks over to the counter where Estelle dropped off the items she had picked and pays for them. After receiving the packaged items, he walks out of the store, not noticing the frown on Anthony's face."Hey, if you care about her so much, then let her go. You can't afford to take care of her. Why do you have to make her suffer?" Anthony sneered behind him. Joel wanted to ignore him but thought it will encourage him to continue throwing trash his way."There are things about love that people like you will never be able to understand. Life is not all about money. I hope you realize it one day but if you don't mind, I have a wedding to plan, so please excuse me," He said in a mocking tone and left the shop.Anthony gets furious and walks
Soon, shopping and planning were over. Estelle walked down the aisle of a simple, garden wedding. Even her gown was very simple and less costly. She prioritized her love over all the money in the world. Joel couldn't force her into a lavish wedding and into picking a luxurious gown without having much to explain so he accepted things just as they were.Despite the simplicity of the wedding, everything was so beautiful. Aside from Joel's parents and Estelle's friends, only a few people attended, who were few good friends from college. Estelle never felt bad for her parents not attending. She knew they wouldn't come anyway.When Joel chose a location for their honeymoon, Estelle thought it was too expensive so Joel surprised her with a four-bedroom luxurious house, where they spent their honeymoon. He made her understand that it was a wedding gift and all documents were in her name."Who gifted us this house?" Estelle's mind started going wild. Joel only told h
Estelle froze at the sight of the man sitting on the CEO's desk. An unconscious frown appeared on her face as she stood at the doorway."What do you want?" Anthony was rather relaxed, as compared to Estelle, who saw him as being despicable. The former CEO shared his office with her because he was hardly in the office and she had to scan and send documents to him through email. Most of the documents were confidential so it made perfect sense to share his office but now, it seems to be the worst feeling she ever had.Anthony curls his lips slightly into a smile and raises his legs on the desk with his hands behind the back of his neck. "Wow, relax, I am here to work okay. Just like you. Anyway, you look beautiful in that dress. It reveals your curves very well."Estelle cursed inwardly and ignored his lustful compliment. "So you knew I work here?" She gritted her teeth in annoyance.Anthony was nonchalant. "Of course. That's why I accepted to take over from my father.
It’s been a little above twenty-five years since Estelle and Joel left her parent's house. Since their return, they have tried to locate them to no avail.Eventually, news about their new counseling passion has traveled far and near, capturing the attention of Estelle’s parents. They too, for some years now, have been trying to reunite with them. They made their way to the office in Estelle’s absence but were fortunate to get her home address.Unfortunately, Joel’s mother had just died two weeks ago and her father followed a week after. Those two seem to be inseparable, even in death. Estelle’s parents were now old and sought to reconcile with their daughter. Not only that, but they also had a plan.Estelle was surprised by the description the housekeeper gave about a pair looking for them. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the two aged people and found herself locked in their embrace. Joel was upstairs and didn’t know about the visitors downstairs. Estelle’s fat
Nina's eyes were glassy when she took in Gerald's appearance. She could tell it wasn't easy for him also. His eyes were red and his face sullen as if sleep itself had eluded him. He moved closer and sat beside her."You think that I cheated on you but the fact is, I didn't. Even if I did, it wasn't in my right mind. When you threw me out last night, I went back to Bridget to seek clarification." Nina's heart sunk when she heard the name, Bridget. 'So he went back to his lover. I shouldn't have thrown him out of the house but I was too angry to think straight. But even if it's my fault, why did he go back to her house? Was it to continue with their stupid affair?'"So, you went back to the same woman. Tell me, where is your shame?" Gerald could tell that Nina was upset."Trust me, nothing happened. She indeed drugged me but she confessed I slept off before anything serious could happen. Those pictures meant nothing. If you don't believe me, I can call
Estelle couldn't sleep well through the night as she kept thinking of how to discourage Nina from getting a divorce. After making sure the house was in order, she went to see Nina, first thing in the morning. The smell of alcohol lurked in the room as Nina sat half asleep on the couch with an empty bottle of whisky. Estelle was repulsed by her behavior because she wasn't one who likes to get drunk in the first place. She shook Nina awake."What is this, Nina, pull yourself together." Nina stares at her indifferently. 'After all, Estelle hasn't been through what I am going through so it's easy for her to tell me to shake it off. What she didn't know was that Estelle has been through the worst and yet, did not result to alcohol. What is worse than being drugged, raped, and having a bastard child? No matter how you try, that child will be a constant reminder."My life is already over Estelle, I have nothing to lose. I already lost everything," Nina said.Estelle pu
The cool air of rejection blew over Joel's mind as soon as his feet lands in Paris. Everything begins to playback. 'This is where it all started. The jealousy, betrayal, rejection.' His only hope is that things will be better this time. He has no intention of retaliating if Mr. Montana shows him any disrespect.The journey to the Montana mansion has been a very solemn one as neither Estelle nor Joel knows what to expect. Jolene and JJ have been busy with their phones, leaving them no time to care about the coldness that lurks in the limousine they are riding to the mansion.The limousine parks in front of the huge gate of the mansion and are greeted by a talk bulky man, who appears to be the security in charge of the mansion. He casually greeted and Joel wind down his window."We are here to visit Mr. and Mrs. Montana. You should remember her daughter Estelle," Joel says rather casually. The security man frowns. "Mr. and Mrs. Montana have been away for a few months
The worst stupidity in life is thinking yourself a lion when you are merely an ant. That is the state in which JJ found himself. He cowardly recoils into an ant upon the sudden revelation. The man who loves him unconditionally is the one he betrays and falls for the scam.His envisionment becomes a bitter pill as he thinks of himself as f unworthy of the love he enjoyed over these years. How can he make amends? Joel will never forgive him and right now, he feels poisoned by the blood that runs through his veins. That stupid thing called DNA has caused so much havoc.This time, his anger is directed towards his father. "You, you lied to me. How dare you do this to me?" He yells.Indeed, Anthony is remorseful. "I am sorry son, I never meant to. I didn't know. The original documents were in his name. I have copies. I never knew he changed it. I was only fighting for your interest." His voice envisions genuine regret but JJ remains unmoved."Just stay away from m
Joel who had remained quiet suddenly erupted like a volcano. "You spent the days with Anthony, not caring about how worried we were. Since you discovered he is your father and believed everything he told you, why did you come back? Why come here? Did you suddenly grow tired of him or you came to revenge on us?"JJ was quiet. He has messed up. Now his plan has backfired. He feared Joel might hurt his father. Estelle is outraged to hear that Anthony is behind it all."Honey, what are you saying?""Why don't you ask your son?" Joel said, not hiding the irritation in his voice.Jolene is awestruck, just gawking as revelations are being made. "Mum, Dad, what are you talking about? JJ isn't my brother?""He is your brother," Joel said. "I have never made a distinction between both of you even though he is not from my loins. I have always loved him as my own.""Liar. You never loved me. You are only doing it to please mum. You are living on my father's m
On a fateful evening, JJ returned home to his family. To avoid too many questions, he went in the evening but Jolene who has had sleepless nights because of his disappearance was wide awake and heard the door to his room open.She went hurriedly out of her room, following the sound to JJ's room. She screamed in surprise, waking Estelle and Joel who couldn't sleep deeply. He sneaked into the house without security noticing. His car was parked a few meters away. Maybe he wanted to sneak in and take the documents, and then return as if nothing had happened.Jolene's appearance at the door startled him. He was shocked to see Jolene's face swollen and red from tears. It struck a glint of guilt in him which was quickly replaced with indifference.Jolene ignored his indifference. She was excited. "JJ, where have you been? We've been searching everywhere for you."His voice was cold. "I've been around. Let me sleep."Jolene was never used to this part of him. B
A few blocks to Joel's House, JJ was in a state of rage. He abused and cursed his parents verbally. He had no intention of going home anytime soon but the man who was Joel's age cajoled him to go back to retrieve certain documents.JJ did not have it in him to pretend that everything is alright if he goes back to that house. He felt betrayed by the people he called his parents.Two weeks ago, JJ dropped Jolene home and headed in the direction of his school. He was stopped a few yards away by a man. The man was not violent. He wanted a little of his time to speak with him. He has been watching him for a long time and even though JJ had Estelle's features, He had this man's brown eyes. Character-wise, he exuded more of Joel so the softness in him gave way to the subjection of true wisdom.He followed the strange man willingly to a two-bedroom luxurious house. There was a maid and a few guards. His car was parked in the man's garage.After settling down, t
Joel and Estelle left for their vacation as planned. Before leaving, they left a tall list of dos and don'ts. It was depressing for JJ to even look at it, judging from the length. So instead, he ignored it and went by his own rules.Naturally, he was responsible and caring so he didn't have any negative agenda up his sleeves. He is just relieved of his parent's presence. Together with his sister, they go through their normal activities from school to rehearsals and home. The only difference is, Joel doesn't allow Jolene to drive. He prefers driving her to and from school. Sometimes, he will drop her home before going back to college for practice.At school, Joel made sure to keep guys away from Jolene even though she was one grade ahead of him. He will find ways to threaten guys who got close to her. It wasn't difficult since he looked taller and stronger than most of the senior guys, thanks to constant practice.Everything was smooth as the days went by till JJ wa