Asher was seated at the head of the long dining table while Jason sat by his right, closest to him. The men sat while the maids set up the table with more food than they could eat. “ Where is she?” Jason asked as soon as they were alone.Asher’s response was automatic, and his tone sounded displeased. “ What business do you have with my wife?” He asked immediately.“ Don’t be such a killjoy.” Jason scolded, holding a disgruntled look, “ Why isn’t she here with us?” This time, his tone was serious.“ Again, what business do you have with her whereabouts?” Asher didn’t care, He should know him by now. Jason shook his head and maintained silence. Jason didn’t miss the occasional lingering gaze of Asher towards the stair area. He seemed like he was waiting for something. Someone.The next time, a maid came around, bearing what seemed like dessert, he asked his question. “ Why isn’t Mrs Braxton here for dinner?” Jason left little to be defied while the maid looked between the two men like
Early the next day, Asher dressed for his journey and was escorted by Jason and Mrs Adams.“ I’ll be back in exactly one week. In the meantime, ensure my wife is properly taken care of. I expect constant feedback on the state of things.” Asher said to Mrs Adams.“ Yes, Sir.”“ Oh please, If you want to know, maybe you should try a different less-caveman approach.” Jason’s tone was flat. He let out a yawn. “ Why are you leaving so early anyway?” Asher withheld himself, “ And what do you propose to be a ‘less-caveman’ approach, Sherlock?” “ I don’t know. Get her number? Send a text. Surely there’s got to be other ways of going about things than this.” Jason spoke like it was general knowledge while Asher let out a sigh. It was too early to deal with this.He continued, ignoring Jason’s unneeded opinions. “ Ensure her assistant is here before she awakes, including her personal security detail. Also, clear out one of the guest rooms in the house,” Asher looked at Jason, then added. “ I
Emma was in her room, face deep in her computer. For the past two days, after she was introduced to her assistant and security, she’s been holed up in her bedroom, trying to sort herself out before her husband returns.Mrs Adams, Jason and her assistant had paid a concerned visit to her, expressing their fear and discomfort with her hermit lifestyle but she made sure to convince them it was nothing and she was trying to get used to things on her own- which was a blatant lie. She didn’t care though, she had other pressing matters to settle which was honestly taking the remains of her sanity. For the past two days, her routine was as follows: Wake up, eat, work, sleep, work some more, get frustrated, eat and sleep.Despite her religious routine, it seemed as the day went by, her resolve diminished. Every route she tried was met with a roadblock, so much that she needed some sort of relief from the string of failures, and resolved to design on her computer to pass time.As opposed to th
Chara held a confused look, half expecting Emma to backtrack on her statement. “ Non-disclosure?” She ended up asking when the expectation wasn’t forthcoming.“ Yes.” Chara felt out of sorts. How on earth could they work together if she didn’t even trust her? Was it her nature to be untrusting or was it something she did or said?She struggled to muster a smile as she spoke, “ You don’t need to tell me, I’ll assist you in the best way I can.” Emma’s eyes narrowed, “ Why? You don’t want to be accountable?” “ Of course not!” She huffed nervously, “ I don’t want to cross boundaries, If you want me to know, I figured you’ll tell me.” Emma remained calm, gauging the lady before her, the silence turned daunting and uncomfortable. “ If you really want me to sign something, I would, If that’s what it takes to feel secure with me.” She added, ready to sign yet again since she got the job. “ Fine. I’ll draw something up, in due time.” Emma notified with a shrug; she couldn’t pinpoint whe
“ Tell me you’re joking.” Emma said, flickering between the two of them. “ I Apologize, Mrs. Braxton.” Ms Adams quipped- as though that made everything better.“ Hubby’s rules.” Jason added with a shrug.Emma stared at them in unbelief, “ Why on earth am I not allowed out? What is this? House arrest?”“ No my dear. The boss gave express orders that you are allowed any and everywhere else-”“ Unless it's in the damn property.” Emma supplied, rudely cutting off Ms. Adams. “ Is that supposed to make me feel less than a prisoner?”“ You are also at liberty to request any and everything, whatever you need would be brought to you.” Ms. Adams said, hoping to get through to her.“ This is just terrible. I want to speak to him. This wasn’t part of the-”Jason let out a painfully loud cough, abruptly ending her line of sentence. Their eyes revved to him in concern and he gave her the 'look'. Emma sighed, “ Listen, I need to get out. I’ve been holed up for the longest time, whatever it takes,
Asher addressed the situation, not sparing Chara or Mrs. Adams: their week's earning split in half as a result of the case. Afterwards, Asher made his way to the room, where an equally angry Emma sat, waiting for him.“ What was that?” She spoke first, not sparing him a glance.“ Funny how I wanted to ask you the exact same question.”Emma got to her feet, holding a defying look, “ I will not be treated like some rag doll. I don’t know what came over you, making you think I’m someone unable to fend for herself, but I’ll tell you one thing.” She paused, trying to catch her breath, “ I will not watch you disrespect me or my people. You have to apologize.”“ Are you done?” He sounded bored, “ A friendly reminder, they were my employees before your ‘people’ and I retain full autonomy and power over how they carry out the duties they are being paid to do.” He walked towards her, tilting her face to behold him, “ I will not have you disrespect me in front of my employees.”Asher’s tone was
“ I’m so sorry!” Bianca squeaked out, looking like a deer caught in headlights. “ I honestly didn’t know this was real.” She said, gesturing between Emma and Asher.Asher held a stoic face while Jason seemed distressed.“ Hi Ash,” The lady greeted with a smile and Emma couldn’t help but notice how perfect she seemed.It was hard not to when she had everything in the right places. Slim and slender legs, check. Symmetrical face, check. Curvy in all the right places, check. Glass skin, check. Dimples that added to an already breath-taking smile, check. God sure took his time creating her. Emma seemed out of sorts, unsure of how to relate to this new and beautiful woman. The fondness in her voice when she spoke to Asher told her that she wasn’t an ordinary person. Not an outsider. At least not to the Braxton Family.Asher cleared his throat, then held her by the waist. “ Rebecca, meet my wife, Emma.” His grip tightened, “ Emma, Rebecca.” After the introduction, Emma couldn’t help but no
Emma and Chara were directed by an agent into the property that was up for rent. Emma was all smiles as she took in the place, already thinking out the perfect ways she could remodel it and turn it into the birthplace of her soon-to-be established company- Soul Shoes.Chara, once again, outdid herself. Emma couldn’t help but notice the amount of thought and work that went into the properties selected for her viewing. So far, they’d gone to two places, which were honestly quite attractive but it was clear they’d saved the best for last.“ I love it! I love love love it!” Emma expressed unashamedly,“ I had a feeling you would.” Chara said softly, already blushing.“ You, my dear, are a life saver. I don’t deserve this.” She said, looking around the place. Emma was big on connection. She knew when she set out on this journey that the place her company would be born must be a place that her soul felt a connection with. If there was something she learned from her mother long years ago,
For the first time ever, Emma was outside her room. Led through a dark staircase, she tried and failed to get a feel or look on anything but the floors. They got to the dining room and a long king sized table stood in front of her. " Finally! Come sit." Kaden said from the head of the table, " We can't have you missing breakfast."Emma jittered towards him. The doctor attended to the bruises that formed through her body earlier this morning but she still felt pain at every turn. Her biggest concern remained on the health of the child that grew within her- a topic that posed a taboo when she brought it up to the doctor." Oh don't be afraid, I'm in a good mood this morning! Sit, we have a whole day ahead of us." Kaden spoke like he didn't abuse her the day before, one would think his memories from the day before were washed and a demon possessed him to do the evils he did.Emma sat down with her head bowed, the maids immediately got to serving breakfast. In no time, their plates were
Inside a dimly lit room, a sea of heads and computers depicting the various streets and spots of the city covered the entire room with little space for easy access. Jason noticed Asher come in and headed with information garnered since their last meeting. " Any news?" Asher spoke first, eyes fixated on the organized chaos before him.Jason stood beside him, " A lot. We have to talk, privately." He led the way to a little room by the corner.Asher entered and took a seat behind the motherboard. " What do you have for me?" " We narrowed our focus on Kaden," He started, but immediately felt Asher's disapproval, but continued anyways." After his reveal, we decided it was best to uncover things about this man, and we weren't wrong."" Get to the point."" Kaden somehow managed to have contact with Rebecca, Cole, Emma and her Step-Mother." Asher's eyes widened, " not just that, but he met these people at the same period of time. Coincidence?"By now, Jason had his full attention, " Do we
Jason followed the trail of the car that took Emma into the outskirts of the city. He slowed to a stop where he found the vehicle used to perpetuate the act seated on the highway- clean of everything that pointed at the situation at hand. It took a moment before he realized that he led a wild goose chase- one that seemed intentional on the part of the people who left a brand new vehicle opened and waiting for his arrival. “ Shit!” He kicked the tire, hard enough the car skipped a beat from its impact. Jason headed back to his car feeling played. Before starting up the car, he texted Asher, reported the situation and angrily informed of his immediate return. On the other hand, Asher sat in his home office, a place he hadn’t left for the longest time, corroded with thoughts that kept his eyes opened and in search of answers. Unknown to Jason, while he made his way back, his movements were monitored. The moment he went back to the city, Kaden received feedback of his unfruitful searc
Emma gripped the steering wheel like her life depended on it. And it actually did. If there was one thing capable of killing her, it was the thought of her designs burning to ashes, months of hard work vanishing into thin air. She needed to save her work, and fast! Her phone rang non-stop, every single call received a text behind, all of which she knew came from her husband. Her very worried husband. A screeching sound filled the air and it took a moment before Emma realized that her tires were giving out. “ Oh shit!” She cussed, forcing the car to a halt and stepping out. Her tires were ruptured, all four of them. How she didn’t notice it from before was a mystery. Impatient, Emma looked around in search of something. Anything that would get her out of the situation. The hairs on her body stood and she felt a presence loom over her. A rising dread course through her veins but before she could turn around, the sting of a needle pierced her throat. The more she felt its liquid cont
“ What do you mean?” Asher asked Jason over the phone.“ Her body was discovered in the early hours of the day. Investigations on the cause of death is ongoing.” He informed, “ You need to lay low for the meantime, both of you. At least until we uncover the details behind her death.” Asher felt distraught, “ What is the state of events? Any leads on her killer?” “ I’m afraid not, whoever did it, did a clean job. Dumped her into the river with a body cleaned of trails.” He answered, sighing afterwards. Emma walked into the room, and straightaway, noticed the atmosphere. “ What’s going on?” She mouthed.“ I’ll call you in a minute.” Asher ended the call with a huff, her eyes narrowed in concern.“ Who was that?” “ Jason.” “ And?”“ Rebecca is dead.” He declared without missing a beat.“ Oh my goodness! What happened?” She asked, face aghast. “ Murdered. I don’t have the details yet but I will soon. For the meantime, stay home. I don’t want you moving an inch out of this house, unt
“ Surprise!” Chara and a couple others yelled when the door opened. “ What in the world?” Emma tried to stabilize her breathing.“ I’m sorry we startled you.” Chara said and a chorus of agreement followed, “ This is your party, Emma. Don’t be shy!” She urged her into the living room. Emma took in the lounge party in awe, slow music played in the background and there was a light chatter in the air. “ Excuse me everyone,” the public address system caught the attention of the people, “ Can we raise our glasses to toast our beloved Emma Braxton, the strongest woman I know.” She remarked and the intimate congregation clinked glasses and cheered.Asher, watching the event from his home office, joined the party, raising a glass to the one person he figured didn’t want to see him at the moment. After thorough checks of the footage, he discovered he didn’t sleep with Rebecca. He was out of it and even defenseless to her motives but something made her retrace her steps and take some pictures
“ Hey! It's not what it looks like..” Asher caught her arm, but she struggled.“ Let me go! This is a fake marriage so you don’t have to explain, this isn’t real.” Her words cut deeper than expected and he let go, burned.“ Oh really? This is what it's about, huh?” His tone turned cold, “ You still aren’t allowed to parade yourself in a disgraceful manner, Emma.” He lashed with blazing eyes, “ Don’t think I don’t know of your shenanigans!”Emma recoiled, a sore taste in her mouth, “ I got blackmailed with those pictures from my past. I will clean up my mess.” Asher watched his wife leave the house, unable to speak. He threw her scandal in her face and felt like a dog about it. What sort of husband wouldn’t know their wife was getting threats? His anger fizzled and all that remained were regrets.Jason appeared in his line of sight, wearing a calm demeanor, no doubt he heard their little scuffle and ached to use the infamous line- ‘I told you so.’Meanwhile, Emma spoke into her phone w
Asher returned to a house void of his wife. He marched into his room, dialing her number to no avail. He muttered some curses under his breath and immediately made way out of the house. On his way out, he bumped into Rebecca. “ Asher.. what’s going on?” Her tone doused with concern, “ Are you alright?” “ Goodnight.”He made to leave but her hand held him back, “ I’m sorry. Just..please don’t walk away.” His eyes narrowed on his arm and she immediately let go, “ I promise I mean no harm.”Asher didn’t speak, but his countenance didn’t seem like he wanted to kill her anymore.“ We can have some wine,” She suggested, “ Catch up on old times.” Without waiting for a reply, she immediately headed to the cellar, wining her waist as she went. A few minutes later, she returned holding a bottle of expensive wine and two glass cups. She handed over its filled content with a smile, “ Tell me, what is this I hear about your company expanding into Africa?”“ Just another business move.” He shrug
Mrs. Steele stepped down the stairs with a smug look on her face. It was finally time to meet with her long, lost and awaited step-daughter. Their eyes connected and a triumphal smile ushered its way through her face. “ Trouble in paradise?” She corked an eyebrow and took a seat. Emma held a permanent scowl,“ I see you haven’t changed.” Emma remarked curtly, her tone took her by surprise.“ I see you’ve grown teeth.” Mrs Steele raised her hand and a glass of water was brought to her, “ What do we owe to this...unscheduled visit?”“ Don’t act dumb. Take responsibility for what you did.”“ I think you are mistaken." She circled the tip of her cup, “ This is my house and I will not be disrespected. If you are here to do so, I suggest you leave.”“ Take the pictures down!” Mrs. Steele let out a short laugh, “ Leave us.” It didn’t take a soothsayer for the employees around to scramble away, giving the women some much needed privacy. Mrs. Steele got up on her feet;“ I’ll forgive you be