Emily's eyes shone for joy. "Wait, the man is CEO Jace Hudson, right?" She asked, eager to hear a yes from Ned. Ned Jason nodded. Emily suddenly bursted into an exaggerated laughter. She laughed and tried to sound funny but Ned just stared at her. "I knew it. I knew she was up to something when she tried saving CEO Jace Hudson that day. When did the rat learn to protect and save the wild cat? Isn't that preposterous? What was she thinking, that CEO Jace Hudson would see her as his saviour and hovered around her, asking her to be his girlfriend or something? She thinks too much. She would have just died for nothing. The best Jace Hudson would have done was to ask one of his numerous bodyguards to take a flower to her grave once every year. And he must have taken pity on her to have even thought of sending flowers. Oh gosh! It wouldn't have mattered though, even if she dies. She has no mother to mourn her, her father must have definitely been some lowlife
The deep masculine voice echoed in the entire complex. The atmosphere became condensed and chilly. No one could say anything and there was a quietness that no one had experienced before in the Hudson's holding. Without being told, everyone tiptoed back to their seats and offices and bent their heads on their desk and computer. Afraid that the CEO would fire them. Lily Ambrose wanted to leave as well but CEO Jace Hudson declared "Not a step further" Lily Ambrose froze, why does it have to be the moment she raised her hand to smack Arianna that he appeared? Only Arianna, Daisy and Lily remained standing. CEO Jace Hudson glared at the women one after the other with a cold stare,his hands in his pants pocket. "What the hell is going on here, why is it causing a fuss in my company?" Jace Hudson inquired. None of the women talk until Lily Ambrose said "Arianna Jason is a mistress to this woman's husband. She came to plead with her to stay away from her husband, espe
For the rest of the day, none said a word to the other. But they wondered why Arianna was not charged with a punishment like the rest of them. If she hadn't slept with the woman's husband, she probably wouldn't have come to cause a fuss. But now, the CEO let her go unscratched. They saw how the woman went on her knees to plead with the CEO to change the punishment or lighten it, but he simply strode away as if he didn't know someone was on her knees pleading with him. When the closing time approached, Arianna sent a text "I'm having dinner with the Senator's family". Thank goodness, she told Jace where she was heading otherwise he would have wondered if Daisy and Lily were saying the same thing about having gone to be with Ethan during the lunch time. "Go home, change and I'll go with you" Jace texted back. He knew a lot of people would want to spy on Arianna when she leaves the office. Rosalinda's health seemed to depreciate. She went to the hospital and
The chauffeur parked the car and Jace Hudson alighted. He came over and helped Arianna out. He wasn't with the bodyguards but drove in the bullet proof car. He pulled her to his side and whispered "Always wear your hair this way for me, whenever we are alone" he kissed her temple. "You like it this way?" Arianna asked, turning briefly to glance at Jace. Her hair swirls and Jace lets out a soft giggle. He loves it. "I love it," he chimed. They arrived at the door, the security guards bowed slightly before them and the Steward held the door for them to get in. But they met Richard just at the door. He looked tense and his gaze fixed on Arianna. For some seconds, he didn't say anything, just stared at Arianna. "Hey Richard, why do you stare at me as if you've seen a ghost" Arianna teased, going over to him in tiptoes and cupping his face in her arms. "I wish it's a ghost, Arianna. I would have known that it can never be real. Please we need to talk
He stood transfixed at a point. Gently, Jane pulled away from the hug and kissed Arianna's temple. She sniffled and glared at her husband. "Just look at her Adrian, she's so beautiful like Susan, so perfect and sweet. But more than that, I see your face in her face" Jane said, sniffling and covering her mouth with her palm to hide her loud sob. Arianna blinked her eyes and squinted. Jane knows her Mom. But what did she say last, the last line of her words drew her attention the most. She took two steps backwards and glared at Jane, now with a mixed feeling. She blinked her eyes and asked "You know my mom, Mrs Jane, do you also know my dad?" Arianna asked, not smiling now but looking very serious. Jane Delmark couldn't answer Arianna's question, just turned gently and went down slowly into the sofa. Her eyes now gone red. "Yes, I am your dad," Senator Adrian Delmark answered. There was a long silence that followed. The Earth seemed to stand still in i
"Dad, see what you've caused. You've always been my role model all these years and I always look up to you for advice and counselling. But today, I don't know what to say to you. I am two years older than Arianna. I was born within the bonds of wedlock. It only means that being Arianna's father, you cheated on Mom. You are a cheat, dad. Yes a cheat" Richard reprimanded his dad. "It is not your place to say that to your father, Richard. I knew about it from the day everything happened. But none of us knew Susan was pregnant with Arianna. So just go to your room and rest" Jane Delmark ordered. "Are you trying to cover up for him because you love him? A man cheated on you and has an illegitimate daughter and now you try to defend him?" Richard declared. "You should ask your mother why she wouldn't go after another man but took away Susan's man" Derick snapped at him as soon as he stepped in. Richard turned and glared at his uncle. Why is he saying the same th
Chase squinted. He glanced after Arianna as she took the spiral stairs and went upstairs. He glanced back at Jace and the latter shrugged. Jace ensured Arianna changed from her dress, took a bath and wore her night dress. Still Arianna didn't say a word. She was mute and climbed into the bed. They hadn't eaten dinner. Jace went downstairs and got them dinner from the kitchen but Arianna just hugged her knees and stayed under the quilt. Despite tucking, Arianna wouldn't respond until the dinner got cold. "Even if I'm asleep, don't hesitate to wake me if you want to eat, okay?" Jace Hudson said and took the dinner back to the kitchen. "What happened to Aria?" Chase asked. Eli's nanny had taken him to his room for the night. Chase wouldn't go but remained in the sitting room, worried about Arianna. "She discovered that Senator Adrian Delmark is her father," Jace replied, sinking into the sofa and sighed. "What?" Chase Hudson exclaimed. Arianna is the S
In that depressed mood, Genesis called Richard. Seeing the caller ID, Richard sighed for relief. He answered the phone "Glad that you called" Richard said and sniffled. Genesis perceived unhappiness in his tone and asked "Are you alright, baby?" This is not the usual vibrant Richard that she used to know. Something is amiss. "I'm not. There isn't any way I can be alright tonight. After how irrational I talked to Arianna, I'm far from being alright" Richard replied. Genesis sighed. "Okay now, tell me what is wrong exactly. What happened?" She inquired. The three of them are best friends. Whatever caused a fuss between them that made Richard talk irrationally to Arianna, she wants to know. "Something happened at home. Mom invited Arianna and Jace for dinner. But then, we all found out that Arianna is my sister. She's dad's daughter. She's the daughter my father was trying to find. It brought a feeling of shock, pain and hurt to her and she called my paren
When the couple alighted, Chase held Rosalinda's hand, intertwining his fingers ders with hers. They drew closer, and a few securities walked over to their boss. When Chase walked over he turned and glared at the securities in hostility "the next time you opened that gate to some unwanted guests, your job in this house is ended!" He thundered. "We are not unwanted guests Mr Hudson. We are law enforcement agencies with a search warrant…" One of the police officers was saying when Chase snapped at him. "If you have a search warrant, do you also have a gate pass?" He asked, his usual arrogant personality taking over the calmness he portrayed at the orphanage. For a few seconds, none could say a word until the man next to Amanda Smith introduced himself "I am Barr. Clifford,Miss Amanda Smith's lawyer" he said, dissipating the awkwardness in the air. "We have a search warrant from the head office to search your mansion for Miss Bella Smith, a girl you adopted fr
How dare he say she needs the advice the most when he was the one who hurt her and rejected the baby? How can he refer to himself as Bella's father after ordering her to have an abortion back then. If she had gone ahead, she would have flushed Bella away. Now, he brought his face before her and said he is Bella's father? She's not afraid of him anymore. What she wants is her daughter and nothing else. "Amanda, I know that you are hurt. I also know that I made you hurt. But please, I'm begging you let's talk about our daughter please" Chase pleaded. "Yes, Miss Amanda. Just give him a chance and talk to him. This mother is pleading with you as a mother, listen to Chase" Rosalinda coaxed. "I don't have anything to talk to him about. You wanted me to have an abortion back then. You paid for it and told me not to come before you again. And I didn't, I never came to find you ever again. And today you call yourself my daughter's father? How is that possible?
The both of them stared at each other in shock. Chase remembered the dream. Everything played fresh in his memory and he was afraid of the rest of the dream becoming a reality. Amanda Smith glared at him. She was thinking about him without knowing he was standing next to her. What is going on here? She remembered the past. How she was involved with Chase and became pregnant. How he urged and persuaded her for an abortion. He transferred a large sum of money into her account and told her not to come before him again or return someday with some damn baby to blackmail him. He is a Hudson. A billionaire and has power. But she's a nobody. She had to hide away and carried her baby in her belly and gave birth to her without his knowledge. She doesn't have the ability or the name to fight him. Now, after a few years she met with him again. But she hopes he's not the man who adopted her daughter? From the words of the matron, she hopes her daughter hasn't found h
Chase kept his gaze on her confused facial expression. He chuckled softly and said "No. She's my daughter by adoption. And now, the orphanage wants to see me along with her" Rosalinda shook her head in disapproval. She'd always thought she's his daughter for real, that is, by blood connection. And she didn't bother asking him about the girl's Mom. And the resemblance, how come about it then? She takes after Chase 50% in appearance. Her eyes looked a lot like Eli and his dad. "But Bella looks like you and your family…" Rosalinda interjected. This is unbelievable. If Chase hadn't told her himself, she wouldn't have believed it if someone else told her. "It's a coincidence. We're not related by blood" Chase replied, smiling. Somehow the girl looks like the Hudson's. That's one other reason he insisted he would adopt her. She would fit perfectly into the family. "Are you sure none of your ex…"Rosalinda trailed off. It's enough. If Chase said she's his daughter by
The matron nodded and smiled. The only kid in the orphanage that goes by the name Bella was the one adopted a few months ago. "Can we get the information about your daughter and the legal documentation you signed? Amanda smiled and brought out all the necessary documents and placed them before the matron. After glancing over it and comparing it with the copies in the orphanage. She realised that it's her daughter indeed that has been given off in adoption. "We waited for you for many years. Other parents returned to get their kids and many were adopted except Bella…"the matron trailed off. They couldn't reach her. She changed her address and her contacts were forever switched off. Since there was no information about her, they couldn't inform her that her daughter had been adopted. "I'm sorry about that ma'am. Life was unfair to me so I decided to go away for a few years. But I'm back now. I have a job and I've returned to fetch my daughter" Amanda Smith
Jace couldn't curtail the excitement surging in him. Arianna is pregnant again, it only means he's eventually going to be a father again. "Thank you" Jace chimed. He smiled broadly. Richard smiled too. He can't wait for the day when he will also receive such good news as an expectant father. "Watch her diet Jace, if you can. Especially the intake of alcohol is not good for the baby" Richard advised. "Yeah, sure" Jace nodded. He glanced at the direction where the ladies went and felt like going after her and hugging her affectionately. She's carrying his child, Eli will have his request granted in a couple of months. They had hardly finished the party when Jace had Arianna come upstairs. There's a kind of excitement in him that she hasn't seen before. He almost was going to spoon-feed her. This deep expression of love, she doesn't know what she'd done to deserve it. Anyways she accompanied him. "You'll have to do a test. I bought five different brands
Her heartbeat almost skipped. She stood gazing at the two people she least expected to come and see her. Is she dreaming or hallucinating? She blinked her eyes and opened them again, but they remained at the same spot, smiling broadly at her. She turned and glanced at Chase,the latter shrugged. Chase went to see them, is that why she didn't wake up to find him next to her? She swallowed hard and wanted to say something but her words choked in her throat. Chase has impressed her over and over with his ability to reconcile people together. "Congratulations baby" Pricillia Black was the first to make an utterance. She opened her arms and walked towards Rosalinda. The latter mumbled "mummy" and her eyes went cloudy with tears. She got into her mom's arms and hugged her. Her tears gave way and for some seconds, they both couldn't say anything but remained in each other's arms. "Mummy,I missed you," Rosalinda confessed. She sniffled and swallowed hard. Her mom's t
"... I'm sorry . I know I have been stupid in the past. I trespassed. I bruised your ego and I said demeaning words to you, but I sincerely apologise to you and I seek nothing but your forgiveness. Even if you don't want to forgive me, for your daughter's sake, forgive me. Rosalinda is broken and unhappy. For the rest of yesterday, she's sobbing secretly. Do you want your daughter to be unhappy? No mother or brother ever wishes so for their daughter and sister. I humbly request you to forgive me for her sake. Rosalinda loves me a lot. She hadn't stop loving me for once. I fell in love with her after she miscarried my baby. I swear that I regretted my actions. I tried to apologise, but you both didn't give me a chance. I am a different person now. I love your daughter more than anything else in this world. Please give us your blessings, dear mother inlaw…" Chase pleaded. Pricillia Black was speechless. She doesn't know if she's to be angry or just walk away. Bu
She had been unexceptionally quiet all the way from the registry. After her encounter with her family, her excitement went down and she had only been forcing herself to appear happy. But Chase wouldn't forfeit the pleasure of his wedding night simply because the bride wasn't looking cheerful. He has to take his conjugal right. Rosalinda was not giving him the expected cooperation. She wasn't in the slightest mood or interested to consummate her wedding. If Chase can just spare her that night. Before the next day, she would have been able to put her emotions together and willingly give herself to him. And she cannot tell Chase about it. And the latter refused to interpret the attitude she was giving him. Chase just doesn't want to understand at all. "What's happening Rosa? Don't you want me to make love to you?" Chase asked, feeling annoyed already. He had to undress her and despite that, she was stiffening her body. He suspected that she doesn't want to cons