"Miss. Michelle. Don't take her words and actions to heart. No need to pursue the matter any further. You can let her stay on my behalf." Anabel said, and Miss Michelle hesitated before accepting. "It's alright. She can stay." She turned to Desmond. "Mr. Desmond, you are free to help yourself to the bar. I need to welcome my other special guests." Miss Michelle said and left."Come, let's go." Desmond said and headed to the bar, thinking that Daniella was with him. Daniella had stayed behind to confront Anabel."I thought you had divorced him. Why are you shamelessly pestering him like a parasite?" Daniella started. "I know you wanted him back. That is why you are doing all these. But let me tell you. Desmond no longer needs you. You can't have him anymore. I will advise you to forget about him.""And who said I wanted him back?" Anabel asked."You don't need to say anything. Actions speak louder than voice. I will advise you to stay away, very far away from him. He will never take pat
A few minutes later, they all settled down, and the event started properly. Miss Michelle welcomed everyone, especially Anabel. Desmond and Daniella still found it annoying."Why will she welcome her in a special way as if she's a big deal?" Daniella mumbled."I think we are missing something. Would she be Anabel Orton?" Desmond asked."She can't be. That's not possible. Is it because of her name? Remember that anyone can answer Anabel. She's never the one." Daniella replied."Then why is she showing royalty to her? Don't you find it disturbing? My ex-wife might be a billionaire heiress.""What are you even saying? Don't tell me you want to fall for this cheap trap. Anabel is a country bumpkin and will always be. Stop giving it a thought.""I'm going to find out who she really is." Desmond said with determination.After the introduction, they addressed the guests and launched their latest brand. After that, they ate, drank, and danced, each person with her partner.As Desmond was danci
The crowd was amazed to see the beautiful face behind the mask. The beauty was out of this world. Desmond and Daniella were surprised. They didn't see that coming."So Anabel is Orton's daughter?" Daniella asked."I always suspected it. This must be the reason the contract was denied. I can see. So my ex-wife is the daughter of a billionaire? the richest man in the country?"Anabel quickly picked the mask and wore it back. They danced a little before they rounded up and left the stage.Just when the party was over, Desmond and Daniella went to meet Miss Michelle and Anabel at the back."You deceived me. You are a liar. Why didn't you tell me that you are Orton's daughter?" Desmond asked."Miss Anabel Orton is sick." Miss Michelle spoke up to defend her. "I asked Anabel to perform on her behalf since she's good at dancing."Anabel knew that Desmond would come for her and asked Miss Michelle to defend her. She told her everything about her and Desmond."I knew it. She can never be Sir Or
Daniella came back from a outing and saw Desmond's mom smiling and sipping her wine. Her attention was focused on the television as if she was watching the most interesting program."Welcome my daughter inlaw. I hope you bought all the things you wants." Desmond's mother asked with a broad smile.Daniella leered at her before responding, "Yeah. I can see you are enjoying yourself.""Yeah, You can see. I can't stop watching this program. You can freshen up and join me." The mother inlaw said."Don't worry, I just need to rest." Daniella replied and headed to the room. Few minutes later, the door opened and it was Desmond. She welcomed him with a kiss and helped him remove his cloths."I wonder what your mom and sister is still doing in this house" Daniella suddenly blurted out. Desmond was startled to hear her say that.He turned towards her in confusion. "You wonder what my mother and sister is doing in my house? What are you saying? You are talking about my family, Daniella.""I know.
"What do you mean?" Desmond asked."Stop asking me questions and do what I said. Not that I'm asking a difficult thing. You are getting married to me, Desmond. Husband and wife are meant to live together and alone. We don't need any third party around.""But we are not yet married." Desmond said, puzzling Daniella."Are you saying you will not marry me? You want only my child?" Daniella asked in curiosity."I never said that. I mean... we are still dating. So you don't have to demand for privacy. I can consider if we are married. But for now, we are not yet married. So don't talk about who is leaving and who is staying. Afterall, we are all big family. I don't see any need to have them leave.""I don't know why you are finding this difficult. This is what real men do. Don't tell me you are mummy's boy.""Why are you sounding this way? The last time i checked, you are not doing any house chores. My sister does that. Ever since you came into this house, you have never entered the kitchen
You should be pampering me. I need a baby treatment from all of you.""Then show some respect. You. can't just come over and change the channel without asking for permission. You're not even Desmond's wife yet, and you're acting like you own this place."Daniella's eyes flashed. "I'm Desmond's fiancée, and this is my house now. I make rules. You are the one who is even supposed to show some respect. You are supposed to take permission from me before making use of the television.""Have you gone insane? In my son's house? Remember that I'm the reason you are in this house.""And so? You rooted me for him because you know that I'm the best. It's a privilege for your son to have me. You should be happy that i accepted.""I was. but now.. I don't know what have suddenly came over you.""Nothing came over me. Just keeping you in your place and reminding you that I'm now the madam of the house. If you still wants to watch your program, you can make use of the television in your room."Mrs. E
Daniella got up from the seat when she saw it was Desmond. "Thank God you are here. You are just at the right time.""What is that? Is there any problem?" Desmond asked, still holding his office bag."Your mother. She's disturbing me." Daniella reported. "She's been dragging the television with me, stressing me out.""My mom?" He turned to his mother. "Is she telling the truth?""She's now acting victim as if I'm the problem problem here." His mother replied. "I was watching a program when she came and changed the channel without taking permission. I can't remember having any problem with her. Just talk to her because I won't take it lightly if she repeats that rubbish.""But why will you do that?" Desmond asked Daniella. "You don't change her channel without telling her. I won't like you disrespect my mother.""So you are supporting your mother right? Instead of supporting your wife, the mother of your baby.""You expect me to support you when you disrespect my mother?" Desmond asked
"It's not entirely my fault. You are too soft to her. Make her know her place in this house. She can't come into the house and think she can control everyone. Just last week, you bought a brand new Rolls Royce for her. You take her shopping every time and even send her money. Stop giving her whatever she demands and watch her change.""The last time I checked, you are the one supporting her. You are the one to talk to her. I don't have time for all these things." Desmond said and left.When he got into the room, Daniella was lying on the bed, pressing her phone."What has come over you, Daniella? What is the meaning of your new character? Why do you suddenly hate my mother?""Did I say that I hate her? We need privacy, Desmond. I haven't talked about your sister. Both of then need to leave the house so we can have space. This is what you are supposed to do. You are a family man now. You need to focus on me, your wife. You need to focus on your family. Must I teach you everything?""I'm
Anabel began to pace back and forth, hugging herself as anxiety clawed at her insides. Her father was fighting for his life, and all they could do was wait. Three hours felt like a lifetime, and she didn't know if he would make it until the specialist arrived. Her thoughts continued to race in every direction, but one unsettling doubt kept creeping in. What if the Desmond, who the nurse was suggesting, was truly the only one who could help out? The nurse had seemed so confident, so sure—but she couldn’t bring herself to believe that someone who was not a doctor could help the situation. Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her pocket, breaking through her frantic thoughts. She pulled her phone from her pocket and checked; it was Sylvester. She glanced at the name and let out a slow breath. "Not now." She wasn’t in the mood for whatever reason he was calling. Her father was dying, so nothing else mattered. She ignored the call and continued pacing about. A few moments later, her phone b
Maybe it was another Desmond she doesn't know about. Though, her mind kept racing in thought. She turned quickly to face the nurse. Her lips slightly parted as if she were about to ask the obvious question... 'the Desmond who had once been her husband?' But as quickly as the question formed in her mind, she quickly changed her mind and pushed it away. "No, it couldn’t be him." There were plenty of people named Desmond. This had to be another person entirely. And even if it was the Desmond she knew, how would he have any kind of medical expertise? He wasn’t a doctor. He wasn’t a specialist. He's just a businessman. There was no way. She chose not to ask. Instead, she crossed her arms tightly and tried to brush the thought away. Dr. Maxwell, who was still standing by Sir Orton’s bedside, looked at the nurse with a skeptical expression, and his brows furrowed slightly. He had been a doctor for over two decades, and he wasn’t the type to accept suggestions lightly. Not in a situation
"Then what are we going to do now?" Jethro asked. "I will call an ambulance to take him to the hospital." The doctor said and picked up his phone. He called the hospital for an ambulance and turned to Anabel and Jethro. "I have called for the ambulance. It will be here soon, and your dad will be taken care of." Anabel’s breath shuddered as fresh fear consumed her. Her greatest nightmare—the thought of losing her father—was tightening its grip around her chest. She couldn’t lose him. She wouldn’t lose him. But right now, it felt like she had no control over that fate. Every second felt like an eternity until the ambulance finally arrived. The flashing lights reflecting off the smooth pavement. The paramedics moved with urgency, but their presence only heightened Anabel’s anxiety. Jethro, her brother, immediately rushed forward to assist Dr. Maxwell in lifting their father from the bed. Anabel stood back, frozen, her hands trembling as she watched them carefully maneuver Sir Orton
Without wasting a second, Anabel called her brother, Jethro. The moment he picked up, she repeated the same panicked message.“Dad collapsed! You have to come home!”“I’ll be there, Anabel! Just hang on!” Jethro replied.After ending the call, she knelt beside her father again, gripping his hand as she watched his shallow breathing. “Daddy, stay with me,” she whispered through her tears. “Don’t leave me. Help is coming. Nothing will happen to you. You are going to be fine.”A few minutes later, she heard a car pull up. She was expecting the doctor, but when the door opened, it was her brother, Jethro. He had to speed up immediately after he answered the call."We need to take him to the hospital," Jethro said just as he entered the room."I've called the doctor. He said he's coming.""You have called the doctor, and he's yet to come?" Jethro asked."I don't know what is delaying him. He said he's coming already.""I don't think I'm going to have that patience. Come on, let's carry him
At this point, she could barely breathe. She was confused and didn’t know what to do. Her dad had been struggling on his own until he went weak. Her dad had been fighting with asthma for a very long time, though he always controlled it. But today, she couldn't tell what triggered it. And she was so startled to see that his inhaler was empty. He always bought dozens of it. But since he started taking his drugs, he has found the inhaler unnecessary. These days, he barely uses it. She tried to wake him up, but it all went futile. At this point, she doesn't need any prophet to tell her that her dad needed urgent medical attention. Anabel zipped down her handbag. Her hands trembled as she fumbled with her phone. Her fingers were slicked with sweat as she scrolled through her contacts. Her breath was uneven, her heart hammering in her chest. She struggled to keep her thoughts straight, but the sight of her father lying motionless on the floor had shattered any semblance of calm she
The next morning, as the soft beams of sunlight filtered through the windows in Anabel’s room, Anabel was busy at her desk, clicking away on her system. Her fingers were moving rapidly over her computer keyboard as she worked through tasks with total focus. Even though she seemed focused, her mind was restless. She had been debating whether or not to visit Sylvester and Vanessa that morning. Desmond’s words had burrowed deep into her thoughts, creating an unsettling doubt that she couldn’t shake. She needed answers. She needed to confirm what was true. She wasn't ready for another heartbreak. Not when she hasn't even recovered from the first heartbreak. Hours passed, and finally, she leaned back in her chair, exhaling sharply as she finished her work. She closed her laptop and rubbed her temples as she tried to clear her thoughts. With a quiet sigh, she got up and stretched before heading to the bathroom for a quick shower. As the warm water cascaded down her skin, her thoughts
Without wasting any time, the dad asked, “Why did you reject Reuben? You can't tell me you are not ready for marriage because that is what you need now. A man that will take good care of you and your child.” Anabel let out a sigh and leaned back against the headboard. “I don’t like him," she said flatly. “I’m not just interested in him.” She answered, and her father crossed his arms as he gazed at her. “That doesn’t matter much. What matters is that he loves you. Reuben is a good man. Ever since I knew him, he never caused trouble. All you need is a man that will love and take good care of you. You can start loving him after marriage. You think all those successful marriages started with love? No—commitment comes first, and love follows.” Anabel shook her head, standing her ground. “That’s not how it works for me, Dad. My heart isn’t in it.” Sir Orton exhaled slowly as he sensed frustration creeping into him. He wasn’t angry—not yet—but he was growing weary of Anabel's choices.
Her father continued. “I’ve told him everything. About your first marriage and your divorce. I also told her about your pregnancy, and he still accepted.” Anabel’s lips parted slightly in surprise, but she quickly composed herself. Reuben was a very cute guy, but looking at him, she doesn't see herself gisting with someone like him. She shifted in her seat before speaking. “I appreciate you looking out for me, Father. And I thank the Johnsons for coming.” Sir Johnson smiled faintly, observing her with an unreadable expression. Reuben remained unmoved as he continued to watch her with silent interest. Anabel took a breath and continued, “Under normal circumstances, I might have asked for time to think it over because we have never talked about it. But there is no need for that.” Her father leaned forward slightly and asked. “And why is that?” "I don't know how this will sound, but I am not interested in marriage now.” She answered, and the room went silent. No one was expecting
Anabel got back home and stepped out of her car. Her mind was still occupied with thoughts about her hospital visit. The conversation with Desmond had stirred something in her—an unease she had tried to push aside but couldn't fully ignore. As she walked toward her father’s grand villa, she noticed two luxurious cars parked neatly in the driveway. She slowed her pace slightly, and her brows knitted together as she took in the unfamiliar, expensive cars. She tried to recall if they were expecting visitors, but nothing came to mind. She tried to recognize the cars, but she couldn't. One was a gold Bugatti, and the other one was a gray Rolls Royce. The latest and the most expensive car in the country. Even though her father was known to have high-profile associates, these cars weren’t ones she recognized. The insignias, the vip plate number. They belonged to people of significant wealth, people who rarely made unexpected visits. Anabel straightened her posture and entered through