Zane’s POVPushing away the paperwork in front of me, I got up and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows of my penthouse office, with both hands shoved into my pants pockets. Though my eyes were fixed on the city view, my mind was elsewhere. Despite myself, my thoughts keep wandering to the events that happened earlier in the day when I hired Ms. Ryder as a so-called manager. I don't know what it is about that particular woman but I find her very intriguing. One thing I’m sure of is that there's something about her that reminds me of the unforgettable night I had with a mysterious woman some few years ago. Whether or not she's related to the unknown woman remains a mystery. A mystery I won't rest until I get to the bottom of…Five years ago, I asked my good friend, the so-called best surgeon in the country, Dr. Hemsworth to do something for me... And that's how I got my son back from that woman. Afterwards, Dr. Hemsworth told me that the woman didn't survive the operation due t
Trina's POV As I drove the car out of the parking lot of the seven star hotel, an inner voice kept telling me to at least call Mr. Randolph and let him know that the boss’s son is with me, just in case Mr. McAllister asks him about his whereabouts. But as I reached for my phone with one hand while the other was on the steering wheel, I heard the mini man’s cold voice query me.“Who are you going to call?”I don't know what it is about this little boy, but just as always, I found myself blurting out an answer to his question.“Mr. Randolph… I thought that perhaps your dad might get worried if he doesn't see you. So I have to call Mr. Randolph and let him know that you're with me.”The mini man just scoffed. “Don't bother.”My brows furrowed in confusion so I looked at him through the rearview mirror. “Pardon me? Your father…”“...Knows exactly where I am.” The mini man cut me off. But I was still confused. Does he mean he told his father that he's going to sneak into a stranger’s car
Trina's POV Eleanor reluctantly agreed and so I ushered them into the living room. As Maria said her goodbyes and left, I got some of Eleanor's toys including Lego and a kids' simple puzzle. From my peripheral view, I could vividly see Jayden make a face and snort in a very low tone when he saw the toys I placed for them whereas Eleanor excitedly jumped up and started playing with the Lego. Seeing that, I quickly turned on the TV and placed the remote in front of Jayden, hoping that he might find something that would interest him. Then glancing at Eleanor who was cheerily playing with her Lego, I shook my head with a small smile on my face before making my way to the kitchen. Jayden and Eleanor are just total opposites! About fifteen minutes later, I felt as if something is off. I couldn't hear a single sound coming from the living room and Eleanor would never be so quiet. It's quite unlike my boisterous, lively and chatty daughter to remain so quiet especially when she's playi
Trina’s POV A flood of emotions overcame me as I watched the two kids who initially acted coldly towards each other, now within the space of just an hour, were warming up greatly to each other. Most especially Jayden– the boy who appears to be cold and aloof to everyone, including me but just take a look at how he's doting on Eleanor!“Try the vegetable salad, Eleanor. It's good for you as a growing child.” Jayden’s calm voice stole into my thoughts.“Okay!” Eleanor chirped. “But only if you try it too! Afterall you're a growing child as well!”All she got as an answer was an intimidating icy look to which she just giggled. “Hahaha! You can't scare me with that look, duh!”As I kept on watching them bicker at each other, I suddenly felt tears pricking at the back of my eyes. There's something deeply touching about the way Jayden is doting on Eleanor like a big brother doting on his sister. It brought back memories of long ago— of myself and my beloved brother Mason and how we took c
Zane's POV I had just come to Ms. Ryder's place for dinner on a whim, merely out of the intrigue and curiosity she arouses in me but as I sat there in her modest living room, surrounded by the aroma of her cooking, I found myself in a situation I couldn't have anticipated. Jayden, my genius son, was seated beside me with his face as aloof and indifferent as ever— a trait most people say he inherited from me. I know he's displeased, thinking that I followed him due to my overprotective nature which he hates a lot as he doesn't like being treated as the child he really is. But he can never guess the real reason why I’m really here... However, something that grabbed my attention was the little girl, whose name I’ve learnt is Eleanor. She sat cross-legged on the carpet, with her bright blue eyes fixed intently on me with unmasked curiosity. "Hi there." I heard myself saying, surprising myself with the gentleness in my voice. As if that was exactly what she was waiting for, Eleano
Trina's POV As I turned off the stove, I wiped my brow and let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. Turning to Randolph, who had insisted on helping me with chopping of vegetables and suchlike, I gave him a grateful smile. “Phew! Finally we’re done!”Randolph, the distinguished butler whom I have now warmed up to, chuckled. “Yeah, indeed that was one heck of a cooking spree! But I can't wait to taste everything! The aromas are sooo tantalizing that I’m salivating already!”I let out a triumphant giggle. Although my kitchen now looks like an apocalypse occured in it, the aromas wafting through the air told me it had been all worth it. I had poured my heart into this meal, hoping to impress both Mr. McAllister and his son, Jayden. Right now, it wasn't just about the job anymore, it was about proving to myself that I could do this, that I could create a new life for Eleanor and myself. I'm determined to do all I can to achieve my goals and I will stop at nothing in doing so.With Randolph
Trina's POV Pushing those odd thoughts that came to my mind aside, I concentrated on eating and simply enjoying the warmth of laughter and good food that surrounded us. However, all of a sudden, a sharp knock came at the door. My face instantly scrunched into a frown. Who on earth could it be at this hour? I’m not expecting anyone!Getting up from my seat at the table, I announced to no one in particular. “I’ll get it!”And as I turned the doorknob an oh-so-familiar voice called out to me."Hi Tri! It's me, Justin!"Oh, no! No, no, no. This can't be happening! Not today! Not today of all days! I know how possessive Justin gets whenever he sees me in the presence of another man. But Mr. McAllister isn't just another man, he's my new boss and I really don't want Justin to cause any scene! Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to find Justin standing there with a huge grin on his face."Surprise! I just couldn't wait to hear more about your interview," he began, stepping inside before
Trina’s POV Back at the table, Jayden fixed Justin with a frosty look as he slipped into the empty seat next to me. Then in an equally frosty tone, he addressed him.“An old friend of Trina’s, huh?”Justin turned to look at the little boy that addressed him before returning his gaze back to me. Then putting an arm around my chair in a possessive manner, he smiled radiantly at me as he responded to Jayden's query.“Oh yes! I’m Trina’s oldest and dearest friend! We go way back, don't we, love?"Yikes! This is exactly what I was scared of when I saw Justin at the doorstep earlier! I really don't know why he always feels as if he has to mark his territory whenever he sees me in the company of other men, afterall, I never gave him any chance to think of me as anything beyond a friend.Besides, this isn't just an ordinary dinner. It's dinner with my new boss, a dinner which I have to excel at if I really want to make a good impression on my boss and his son. And with Justin acting all cozy
Trina’s POV From the address Aunt Livvy sent to me, I know she lives about an hour and a half drive away from my house. But when I inputted the address on the Google maps and let it direct us, it felt as if the drive to her estate was much longer than the hour and a half that I had estimated. Or perhaps it is because of the daunting task ahead of both Mason and I… of breaking the news of Mom's death to her loving aunt, that I felt so.As I drove, I kept biting my lower lip at intervals, which is a nervous habit I got from none other than Dad himself. Shaking my head as if to get rid of the numerous thoughts buzzing in it, I turned to the side, stealing a glance at Mason who was sitting at the passenger seat beside me. Just like me, he had been silent for a long while now, deep in thoughts. He was staring out of the window and I could see his clenched fists tightly around the large envelope containing the stack of letters we brought with us. I know exactly what he was thinking becaus
Trina’s POV With the amount of earth-shattering revelations we have been having these past few days, it has been one hell of an emotional rollercoaster for both Mason and I. And this latest revelation about our late Mom being the sole heir to the vast multi-billion dollar Caldwell empire left me feeling completely drained, yet somehow more complete than I had felt in years because even if nothing, I have come to realize that my late Mom wasn’t really abandoned completely by her family as we had thought. All that while when both she and I thought she had no one but Mason and I, her aunt and father had secretly been yearning for her and loving her in secret. The only sad thing is that Mom never got to know this before she died, all thanks to that devil incarnate Emily Ryder!Heaving a deep sigh, I turned to Mason, my dear younger brother who was also as emotionally drained as I was. Then in a tired voice, I said. “What do you think we should do now, Mas? This… this is something I hav
Trina's POV The morning started as it always did this past few weeks since both of my children started living with me. It was chaotic, noisy, and filled with the usual back and forth of both the silent whizz kid Jayden and chatterbox Eleanor getting ready for school. Between helping Eleanor finding her misplaced shoes, reminding her about her forgotten lunchbox, listening to the mild bickering between the two siblings and last minute homework checks for Eleanor, I barely had time to dwell on my own thoughts. Mason and I drove them to school, with the car filled with Eleanor's usual cheerful chatter and Jayden’s occasional interjections. When we arrived, my little munchkin, as always, hugged and kissed me goodbye before she turned to do the same to Mason. After pecking him on both cheeks, she pulled back and raised her little finger at him in a warning gesture, saying, “Don’t you dare pull another one of your disappearing stunts on me again. You had better be right here in this car
Trina's POV Before I could react to her loud squeal of delight, my mischievous little munchkin had already sprinted towards us, with her little feet barely touching the ground as she literally flew to my brother. She crashed directly into Mason’s waist, with her arms automatically wrapping themselves tightly around him. Caught off guard, Mason almost stumbled back but due to his physique and balance, he fortunately didn't. He laughed out loud, obviously very pleasantly surprised as he exclaimed and greeted. “Whoa! Hi there, Princess Eleanor!” Hearing her beloved nickname, Eleanor instantly beamed. She tilted her head up at him, with her doe-like light blue eyes shimmering with awe. “It’s really you?” she whispered, before tightening her little arms around him, as if afraid he might vanish. With a huge, pleasant grin on his face, Mason knelt down to her level, and in a very soft and gentle voice, addressed her. “Yeah, kiddo. It’s really me.”She instantly threw her arms around h
Trina’s POVFor a prolonged time after we finished our discussions and staggering revelations to each other, Mason and I just remained sitting in the living room, not doing or saying anything more as we were still trying to process the tangled mess of truths and revelations that had we had unraveled to each other in the past few hours. I have no idea what was going on in Mason's mind but as for me, my own mind was filled with a myriad of thoughts which were mostly questions that I have no immediate answers for. Like what step should Mason and I take now after knowing all that we have come to know today. Just then, out of the blue, the sharp ding of the oven timer broke through the silence. At first, my brows furrowed in confusion as I was momentarily disoriented before I suddenly remembered what I was doing before Mason arrived.I exhaled deeply. Of course, it's the chocolate cheesecake. I have completely forgotten about it! Grateful for the distraction, I quickly stood up and made
Zane's POV The lawyer just sighed and shook his head before responding. “The only reason why you didn't find any evidence of that is because you only looked into his past, Sir. You didn’t check what he was currently doing in secret. If you had, your investigators, who I know are the best, would have definitely found it.” He paused before adding, “And as for his terrified reaction when you exposed the dirt in his name and everything else... it wasn’t because he was devastated that he had just lost money for himself, Sir. No, not at all. It was actually because of Ms. Sarah’s two children who are now the inheritors of the company, according to the last will Ms. Sarah had made before she went into a coma. The truth is, he was busy working very hard behind the scenes, desperately trying to source legitimate funds to clear all the debts and also erase all those crimes you uncovered which Emily had committed in his name, just to make sure that the company was completely clean before handi
Zane's POV I couldn't believe what my ears just heard. Duncan Ryder was trying to divorce the woman he loved so much that he tortured his own daughter and previous wife because of her? Is it because he had finally discovered that she never really loved him and was only just using him as the means to an end? Is the puppet trying to free himself from the clutches of his puppet mistress who had been pulling his strings and playing him as a fool all this while?The lawyer solemnly nodded and reiterated. “Yes, Duncan Ryder is definitely divorcing his wife. In fact, he had secretly started the process a long time ago. But after his ex-wife's sudden death, he was forced to halt everything because he wanted to conduct a secret investigation about her mysterious death first and didn’t want his wife Emily to suspect anything.” Hearing that, my brows instantly furrowed. Something about this didn't sit right with me. So in a cool voice, I ordered. “Elaborate.” The lawyer sighed as if preparing
Zane's POV Even though every single fiber of my being screamed at me to go after Duncan Ryder and demand answers about what had just transpired between him and Trina and why both of them had looked so shaken after he had left, I just couldn’t bring myself to leave. At least not yet. Not without making sure Trina was okay first. I knew that even if I did leave to chase after him, my mind would still be stuck here with her. So, instead of going myself, I spoke into my earpiece, giving my bodyguard Don a direct order. He had followed my car on his power bike and was the perfect man for the job. “Tail him.” I said to him. “Report to me about every place he goes and every single thing he does.” Don instantly responded, “Roger that, Sir.”And as he revved off his power bike and immediately zoomed after Duncan Ryder, I refocused my attention back on the house. Through the thin curtains, I could see Trina still sitting frozen in the exact same position she had collapsed into earlier.
Trina’s POV I took in a very deep breath just to steady my racing heart before looking Mason in the eyes. I know he would find it very, very hard to believe what I was about to say but I just had to say it. So in a low and solemn tone, I said to him.“I know who your so-called mysterious higher-up guardian angel is, Mas.” Mason's brows furrowed in confusion while his eyes widened with incredulity as he responded. “You know who he or she is?!” He paused a little as his voice rose in disbelief before he added. “But you didn’t even know I had a higher-up guardian angel until just now when I told you about it! So how on earth do you know who it is?” I inhaled deeply once again, steadying myself before dropping the bombshell by saying, “It’s... Dad, Mas. Dad is your mysterious 'higher-up' guardian angel.” At my words, Mason instantly recoiled backwards as if I had just slapped him. His mouth opened, then closed, as if he was struggling to form words to respond to me. When he finally