Eric's POV Pain indeed could only be drowned for as long as you were intoxicated. My head pounded furiously as I forced myself up from my bed in the hotel that I had locked myself in since the dreadful intrusion of Lola back into my life.Just when things were going so smoothly, she just had to pop her bloody head out from nowhere.I clenched my teeth, and my jaw ticked as I reached out instinctively to grab the painkiller I had ordered the previous night.Emily had refused to answer any of my calls since she chose to save our daughter. For obvious reasons, I could not take the hint, and I preferred to keep dialling her line again and again.I pulled out my phone to call her again after downing the drugs in a go.Just as my fingers grazed the 'dial' button, a familiar number that I had not saved called me.No doubt, it was Lola.My jaws ticked as I considered smashing my phone against the wall.I hated the very sight of the snake!She had some nerve to think I would actually stay i
Eric's POV "What do you want?"My irritation was evident on my frowned face as I stared in the direction of the smiling Lola.She shrugged."I just came to tell you all that I prepared dinner."From the corner of my eyes, I could see my mother's face break into a pleased smile."What a perfect daughter-in-law! Thank you, dear. We will be down in a minute. Set the table."I observed Lola's expression in my mother's words. I expected her to wear a humble expression at my mother's order, but I could swear I saw an evil smirk. She walked in my direction.That meal was not going to touch my lips."Don't think that you will miss dinner, my dear husband," she whispered to me while wrapping her arms around me in a hug.I irritably pulled her off me. She felt like a leech on me.I held her stare for a moment, glaring at her before storming out of the room angrily.I could not shake off the fact that something was not right with Lola's presence in our house.Curious to know what she was up t
Lola's POV "Eric, you must come home. I can't take this anymore!"My eyes grew cold."What do you think you're doing?" I snapped from behind Cecilia, who was on the phone. I guessed she was on a call with Eric.She turned around with wide eyes, which eventually grew cold."Why are you eavesdropping on my conversation with my son?!"I snatched her phone from her and threw it against the wall, causing its screen to smash into a million pieces."Have you gone crazy, Lola?!" She screamed.I ignored her, sitting on the chair and popping a cherry into my mouth with a wide grin on my face.This was the life!"I need a glass of Chapman. NOW!!""You can get it for yourself?"My blood boiled at her defiance. "How dare you refuse my orders, Cecilia? Have you forgotten the contract you signed, or do you want to breach it now? Honestly, I don't mind you doing that. After all, I get to walk away with fifty percent of your wealth!"I pretended not to see her face as she glared daggers at me before
Emily's POV I barely found anything interesting except my kids, Mia and my unborn baby, and fashion.I ran my threaded needle down the hem of the fabric I was holding when a finger suddenly snapped in my face.I slowly looked up to see Joanne staring down at wm with her brows knitted in concern."Sis, what's up? You've literally been running the stitch on the same spot for over.. ten minutes now. A penny for your thoughts."I sighed. I had not even realised."What we're you doing staring at me like a creepy lady?" I asked back with a tiny smile playing on my lips.She rolled her eyes while settling down on the chair beside me. "I just wanted to ask you why you've not gone to the hospital yet. Girl, you need to take your antenatal very seriously."My eyes widened mildly for a moment before I regained my composure and stared into space."I will."Her brows knitted even deeper. "When? You are almost five weeks gone, but you've only registered for your antenatal and gone once. What's w
Emily's POV Lucy stood in the centre of the living room between myself, Tony and Joanne with a white face.Her phone sat on the table, and the voice recording that she had done played loudly to our hearing."Lola, you know you can not afford to mess up. I don't care about your desire to make them suffer, but you must be careful. They must not suspect anything..."There was a pause for a moment before he continued."I know that they were mean to you and all, but as much as you're trying to enforce your laws over them, make sure that they don't get wind of you. How can you tell me that Alicia walked in us us talking on the phone! What if she heard something!"He sounded angry as his voice was not a tone higher than normal."I don't care how you're doing to do it, but you have to make sure that Alicia did not hear anything. If you know you still want me to be on your side in this operation, you had better get your head in the game, and out of the stupid cloud you've stuck it in."There
Emily's POV I settled into the hotel and mapped out my plans for the next three weeks.The plan was to get into the Wilsons mansion somehow. It was not safe to inform them of such a sensitive matter over the phone.I had to speak to Eric somehow, but I had blocked his number after his incessant calls. Even if I hadn't done that, I still wouldn't have been able to tell him about Lola over the phone.Having a faint idea about Lola, I knew she would not only be staying at the Wilsons mansion but also doing her best to make sure her secret did not go out.She also would not want to see me anywhere close to Eric.I had to be wise about it.I ran a hand through my hair as I thought of what to do.Going to the office to see Eric sounded like a brilliant plan, but I could not trust those nosey employees of his. As much as it would be the best idea, the last thing I wanted was yo be on the cover of the news and on every headline for being the shameless designer who wants to wreck the wedding
Lola's POV Strangely, I felt like something was off.Something was wrong.I just knew it.From the way Alicia stormed out after I forced her to make me a steaming bowl of lasagna, which she did not know how to prepare, to the way she walked back in with a cool expression.I had to know what was in her mind.I observed her with hawk eyes as she ignored me and stormed into her room, slamming the door loudly behind her."Alicia!" I called with my usual shrill voice.When she took time to respond, my palms curled into fists."ALICIA!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, storming over to her door to bang hard on it.As she opened the door, I shoved her in and walked in as well.My eyes scanned her room to observe if anything was amiss.She glared at me."What do you want, and why did you barge into my room like that? I did not give you permission to enter my room like that! It's trespassing and will not accept -"I raised my hand to cut her short."What are you doing? Why did it take you s
Alicia's POV "Ahh!"My scream was muffled into my pillow as I pounded my fists on my bed.Lola had stepped on my last nerve.How could someone be so cruel?Just to think that my mother and I had brought her in to be a puppet under our control. Now, she had flipped the freaking table!I couldn't keep watching.Her storming into my room and snatching that letter from me was the height of her mischief.My jaws ticked as I pulled myself up from my bed and headed to the mirror to observe my reflection.My hair was all over the place. and my eyes were red and swollen. My face was puffy from my crying nonstop."Lola has to leave!" I gritted out loud to myself."I will make her leave even if it's the last thing I do."Now that the letter had been snatched from me, all I could do was build assumptions over the first sentence that my eyes had read.'There's something you need
After the ceremony, the reception was filled with laughter, music, and dancing. Mia twirled around, delighted to be part of it all, while Eric and I mingled with our guests. It felt like a dream, but I knew it was real. This was the life we had built together, after all the hardships, after the struggles.During the toasts, there was another surprise in store. Tony, who had been promoted for his incredible work in turning in Rico and Lola, stood up to make a speech. But instead of the usual brotherly words, he turned to Alicia.“Alicia,” he began, his voice uncharacteristically nervous, “you’ve changed my life in ways I never expected. You’ve become everything to me, and I can’t imagine a future without you.”There was a collective gasp as Tony dropped to one knee, holding a small ring box in his hands. “Will you marry me?”Alicia’s eyes filled with tears, and for a moment, she was speechless. Then, with a soft laugh, she nodded. “Yes, Tony,” she whispered. “Yes.”The room erupted in
Emily's POV Six months after.It was a warm and cozy evening when Eric walked into the room.I stared at his empty hands and my mouth tilted downwards in disappointment. "I thought you were coming in with my food," I pouted, my arms folded across my chest.He smirked and walked to my bedside and placed a quick kiss on my forehead, sitting beside me on the bed."I see I've become so good at cooking that you want me to be your private chef," he teased, poking my nose slightly and I rolled my eyes.I leaned closer and wrapped my arms around his necks while he wrapped his around my waist. This had become a new normal for us every evening."Let's eat out tonight," he offered. "A friend is opening this new restaurant and wants us to be one of his first customers."I pouted. "Then their food had better be as perfect as yours."His nose flicked mine and we both laughed. As out laughter died down, we leaned into each other with our eyes transfixed, but we were suddenly interrupted by the lou
Eric’s POVI sat by her bedside, staring at her, and a sigh of relief escaped my lips, but when suddenly, her eyes dimmed. They didn’t light up with recognition. Instead, she squinted at me as if trying to place who I was.“Who are you?” she asked, her voice flat and cold.I frowned, thrown off by her question. “Emily, it’s me. Eric.”She tilted her head, her eyes bright with confusion. “Eric? Do I know an Eric?”For a moment, panic gripped me. Was this some kind of lingering effect from the coma? Had she forgotten me? My mind raced, trying to figure out what was happening, until I caught the twitch of a smile at the corner of her lips.Then, it hit me—she was pretending. This was probably her way of getting back at me for what I’d done to her months ago when I had pretended not to know her when I had awoken from my own coma, thinking it was the only way to protect her from the danger surrounding us. Ithad been a cruel thing to do, even if my intentions were to keep her safe. Now, s
Eric’s POVLola’s grip on Dante was ironclad, her hand steady as she pressed a knife to his kneck in a swift turn of events. Her face was a mask of cold determination, showing no trace of fear or doubt. The room was filled with Dante’s bodyguards, all standing frozen, unsure of what to do. The air was thick with tension, the weight of the situation pressing down on everyone."What the hell is going on here?" Dante gritted out unable to free himself from her choke hold.“Let me go, or I’ll blow his brains out,” Lola hissed, her voice low and menacing.I stood a few feet away, watching the scene unfold. My heart pounded in my chest, but I forced myself to stay calm. I had never seen anyone so cold and mean in their resolve, and it was unsettling. Lola wasn’t bluffing; I could tell by the way her hands wrapped tightly around the knife and edged closer to his skin, the sharp edge of the blade graxing his neck. This wasn’t a game to her. It was life or death.Dante’s bodyguards exchan
Joanne’s POVI sat by Emily’s bedside, my eyes fixed on the slow rise and fall of her chest. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor was the only thing that reassured me that she was still here, still fighting. My sister, one of the strongest people I knew, had been through so much. But this… this was different. It felt as though she was slipping further away with each passing hour.“Emily, please,” I whispered, squeezing her cold hand. “You have to come back to us.”I hadn’t left her side since she’d been admitted. It was sad that Eric had to rush off without seeing his wife hit it was for a good cause.Lola and Rico had to be stopped no matter what. I was glad that Tont and Eric were finally closing in on them. I just hoped to hear the good news that they had apprehended those sneaky snakes.Mia was asleep after I had lulled her with a lullaby. The last thing I needed was for her to see her mother in this state.Suddenly, the sound of her crying baby reached my ears, and I felt
Eric's POV I rushed back to the hospital with Mia, who I realised wasn't so ill. She was just a bit feverish, so I decided to take her with me to the hsopairl where her mother was admitted. As we pulled over at the hospital, I turned to her. "Princess, how do you feel now?" I asked, touching her forehead to check her temperature, but her body was quite warm. "I want to see mummy," she whined, her eyes wide and teary. "I miss mummy." I let out a sigh. "Yes. You will see her. We are at the hospital where she is." Her eyes lit up like she had just been given an ice cream. "Really?" She gasped. "Mummy is here?" I nodded, and she let out a loud squeal. I stared at her in surprise. Wasn't this the girl who wasn't feeling well a while ago? I shook my head with a small smile. Inguess she was just missing her mother. "Let's go see your mum," I said to her, picking her up and locking the car. I could only hope to God that my wife and baby were okay. Joanne had not called me to tell me
Joanne's POV As I watched Emily's back disappear into her room, I could only feel sorry for her. I obviously had an idea of her pain.Forgiveness was not so easy. It truly was divine.The giggles of Alicia and Tony drew me out of my thoughts, and I stuck my tongue out at them, clearing my throat."What is the matter, Joanne?" Tony asked with a daring smirk, but I shook my head."Nothing at all. I'm just enjoying thoughts of attending weddings.." I started, trailing off to enjoy his smirk falling. "And maybe even better, a chief bridesmaid."My mother burst into provocative laughter.He flung a throw pillow in my direction, and it hit me square in the face. "Ow.. My nose. You're a bully, Tony," I whined."I can agree with that," I heard the familiar voice of Eric Wilson and smirked in triumph, bumping my fist with his."Hey, there, brother-in-law," I greeted, seeing as Eric strolled into the living room a few minutes after Alicia. "It's been quite a while. A very long one."He smirked
Emily's POV I sat in front of the television, munching on a large bowl of chips, which I had been so desperately craving for weeks now.My protruding stomach made it hard for me to hold the book of chips as closely as I wanted to.The news that the television was showing made my heart leap for joy."Billionare businessman, Eric Wilson exposes his fiancée in a grand party intended to be their baby's welcoming ceremony. The billionaire exposed that the baby of his fiancée was not his child with proof. Despite the glaring proof, Lola tried to deny it by saying that he was not in his right frame of mind. For a moment, it was almost believed until the police stormed the scene, charging her for various crimes, including attempted extortion and kidnapping. The culprit, Lola, however, fled the scene and has been missing for over a month since the incident...."I had heard everything from Joanne and Tony—even though he was barely at home these days because he was hellbent on getting Lola and
Eric's POV As I walked off the stage confidently, my shoulders felt lighter, and I was glad to have put an end to the shenenigans of Lola. She was now in the spotlight she so admired and wanted but not for the reason she wanted.I watched her face drain of its colour as she stared into the booing and disgusted faces of the guests she had invited, now an object of mockery at her own party."No. He doesn't know what he's saying," she screamed into the microphone, forcefully drawing the attention of all the guests who were already making their way out of the hall. Her makeup was already running down her forehead and face slightly due to her sweats and tears.I folded my arms across my chest, my brows slightly cocked as I stared at her from across the hall. I stood waiting for a signal to get rid of Lola once and for all."What do you mean, Ms Lola?" A nosy press lady holding up a camera asked loudly. "Are you saying that what we just heard was wrong? Are you saying Mr Eric Wilson is no