She stared at him from head to his shoes before saying, "Who are you to ask me who I am?" "I'm the security officer here. I need to know who you are, or rather, an identification, before you can enter the building."Daniella stopped abruptly. She couldn’t believe the words she had just heard. "Identification?" she repeated. "Do you even know who I am?" She asked, and the guard shook his head. "I’m sorry, ma’am, but I don’t. That’s why I need to see some ID or confirmation of an appointment before I can let you in. It’s standard protocol for security purposes.""Standard protocol? Do you have any idea who you are talking to?" Daniella asked. "Anyway, let me tell you who I am because it's obvious you don't know who is standing before you. My name is Daniella, Desmond's wife and soon-to-be ex-wife. But more importantly, I am the new potential CEO of this company. This building, this business, it will all be mine by tomorrow." Daniella finished, but the security guard’s expression didn'
As he was walking closer, his eyes were darting between Daniella and the security man.When he got to the entrance door, Daniella spun around to face him. Her demeanor shifted slightly as she realized someone in authority had showed up. Someone who may know who she is. "Finally," she said with exaggerated exasperation. "Someone who I know will have some common sense."The deputy manager frowned slightly as he looked at Daniella. He has not seen her physically before. Desmond has once shown them his woman on the phone."You must be Mrs. Daniella." He said cautiously. "The CEO’s wife.""Exactly! I know you will know who I am." Daniella snapped and pointed her finger at the security guard. "This man has been keeping me from entering the building, treating me like some kind of intruder!""Are you serious?" The deputy manager asked."Why will I be standing here if not that he's blocking my way? I went on to explain myself to him, and he went on to threaten that he will kick me out." Danie
Daniella seemed entirely unfazed by the attention. That was what she was expecting. She love the way people stared at her. In her mind, she was already the CEO, and these employees were her subjects.The whispers grew louder as she continued down the hallway. "Isn’t that Mrs. Daniella?" one worker murmured to a colleague, trying to hide his voice behind his hand. "Why is she here?" "I thought she was just the CEO’s lover." Another worker replied quietly. "Why is she walking around like she owns the place?" Daniella overheard some of their conversations as she passed by and smirked to herself. She was enjoying the subtle power of being at the center of attention. It was clear that Daniella’s unexpected arrival had sent ripples through the company. Even at that, she remained entirely focused on her mission. To assert herself and make her presence felt. For her, every gaze was a silent acknowledgment of the authority she believed was already hers. Tomorrow, once Desmond signed t
Kane stood up slowly to defend himself. "I think there has been a misunderstanding here." He began. "I didn't know when I slept off. Besides, I wasn’t sleeping because I’m lazy. I’ve been working all night to restore the system after it was attacked by hackers. I finished fixing it very early this morning and must have dozed off." He finished, but Daniella crossed her arms to show she was unimpressed or even buying his stories."Do you really expect me to believe that excuse? Sleeping while work is going on is unacceptable, no matter how you try to spin it. Your incompetence is very clear, and you are done here.""I don't think so. This company needs me here to function properly. Mr. Desmond needs me. You can't just fire me like this. I stressed myself to restore things to order, and you want to pay me back by kicking me out? That's ruthless.""Do you want to tell me you are better than everyone here? Just pack your personal belongings and leave. I won't repeat myself. Leave when you
"That’s not true, and you know it! I was the one who stayed up all night working on the system. You left, leaving me here all alone." Kane said, but unfortunately for him, no one could stand up for him. Mr. Barnard and Kane were the last persons to remain in the office. No one knew the person who slept and the one who stayed behind. This morning , they came to work and met both of them in the office and also learned that everything has been fixed. "Kane, let’s not make this more embarrassing for yourself. The truth is, I’m the one who restored the system functionality. I’ve been monitoring the situation closely, and it was my intervention that resolved the issue. You are new here, and clearly, you know you are not even qualified to handle something like that. You are just here because the CEO employed you." "That’s a lie!" Kane shot back in frustration. "I was employed here because you couldn't handle all the tasks. I've saved your ass a few times, and you know it. Yesterday, you
The room went silent. Everyone was surprised. At this point, they knew they were all in trouble if she eventually became the CEO. Kane stared at the broken remains of his phone. He never dreamt of having such a bad day. The employees around him remained silent. They looked scared and surprised. Mr. Barnard, meanwhile, stood smugly to the side. He had his arms crossed as though he had already won. He knew that what she did was bad, but since he wasn't affected, he was satisfied. "First, I don't care who you are. You are going to buy a brand new phone for me. Secondly, I’m not leaving, not until the CEO comes and explains himself. He’s the one who hired me, and only he has the right to kick me out." Kane said but Daniella only smiled. "It won’t change anything, Kane. Don’t you understand? By tomorrow, I will be taking over this company. I will be the new boss, and my decisions will stand. Your days here are already over. You can pick up the pieces of your phone and leave." "That ma
The deputy manager's eyes widened in shock as he realized that Daniella was dead serious about kicking Kane out of the company. He took a step forward and raised his hands in a placating gesture as he tried to reason with her. "Mrs. Daniella, please, you need to reconsider. I thought you were joking, but I can see you are serious. Removing Kane shouldn't be an option at all. It will affect not just the department but the entire company. This is not a decision to be taken lightly." He paused, taking a deep breath, as he tried to think of more reasons so she could understand. "Kane has been with the company for a short time, but he has shown how talented he is. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge in programming that would be difficult to replace. Losing him would be a significant blow to our operations, and I'm not sure we are prepared to deal with the fallout. Your husband, the CEO, hired him by himself. He employed him for a reason, which he has proven enough. We valued his
Meanwhile, Desmond was enjoying his favorite food at home. His mom has cooked his favorite, and they surrounded the table, smiling and eating. "Mom, you have outdone yourself again." Desmond said with a contented sigh as he reached for another piece of chicken. Each bite brought more smiles to his face. "This is exactly what I needed right now. Thank you so much for making this." "Anything for you, my son. Things haven’t been easy for you lately, so I wanted you to have something to lift your spirits. Your favorite food always helps." She said, and Desmond chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. "I’m glad you like it. For Anabel, I'm assuring you that you will have her back." She added. "I trust you." He smiled. "Yeah, I'm ready to do anything that will make you happy. Your happiness is all that matters to me." "What about me? mom." Bella frowned. "You don't care that I'm not yet married." "I do care, my daughter. You are a very beautiful lady. I want a good son-in-law that
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
Desmond glanced away, knowing that it wasn't even his problem at the moment. His main problem was that someone was about to extort a big amount of money from her. He couldn't stand it. "Yeah, I know, but that’s not my problem right now." He said with a weak voice. Bella raised an eyebrow in curiosity and asked. "What do you mean it’s not your problem? What’s going on? Which other problem do we have here than winning her back?" Desmond hesitated for a moment before letting out a deep sigh. "There’s a man. Her so-called new boyfriend." "Does she have a boyfriend?' Bella asked. "Yeah, but the problem is that he's deceiving her. He’s about to extort a huge amount of money from her." Mrs. Elizabeth and Bella both stared at him in shock, but Bella was the first to speak. "A huge amount of money?" "How much money are we talking about?" His mom asked with a voice tinged with disbelief. "I know you guys won't believe this, but this man is about to extort three million dollars from her.
Desmond's mom let out a long sigh and let her shoulders sag slightly. "I don’t blame her, though. She has every right to be angry. After everything we did, after how we treated her... I wouldn’t stop to listen either." Bella, who was standing a few steps away, folded her arms tightly across her chest. "But she should at least hear us out," Bella muttered. "Why would she do that? I mean, we are trying to apologize. We are trying to make amends, aren’t we? It’s not like we are asking for much. She could have rolled down the window for a second. Just a second." Mrs. Elizabeth shook her head gently and glanced at her daughter. "Bella, don't say that. She's angry, and she should be. This is not about what we think she should do. We pushed her away. We hurt her. She doesn’t owe us her time, not after the way we treated her." Bella huffed in response and said,. "Yeah, okay, we were wrong. But if she doesn’t let us talk, how are we supposed to make it right? She should have just let us tal
Desmond turned and walked briskly through the hospital corridors. His thoughts were tangled and heavy.As he got closer to his mother’s doctor’s office to collect her medication, he couldn’t stop replaying his encounter with Anabel. Her coldness, her denial, and the sharpness of her words had left a mark he couldn’t shake. She had insisted the child wasn’t his, calling him impotent. A word that hit like a dagger, even though he refused to believe it. Deep down, he was sure the baby was his, but doubt lingered at the edges of his mind. Could she be right? Could there be truth in her statements? The uncertainty gnawed at him as he tried to focus on what he came to do.Meanwhile, Anabel stepped out of the elevator into the bustling hospital lobby. She hasn't stopped thinking about what Desmond said.Desmond’s words about Vanessa’s surgery played on a loop in her head, rattling her confidence in Sylvester and Vanessa’s story. She hated to admit it, but the seed of doubt he had planted w
Her words stung Desmond, but he took a deep breath, refusing to let them dissuade him. He stepped closer and spoke up. "Anabel, everything that happened... everything that came between us... It was because of my mother and my sister. They drove a wedge between us, and I've already admitted that I'm stupid for allowing them. This time, they will treat you differently. They’ll treat you like the precious treasure you are. They regret what they did. They are longing to have you back, Anabel." Anabel’s lips curled into another bitter smile, and she folded her arms tightly across her chest. "I'm not a kid, Desmond. I know exactly why they want me back," she retorted. "It’s not about treating me like a treasure or making amends for their wicked character against me. They want me back because Daniella disappointed them. They want me back because they didn't get what they wanted from Daniella. They want me back because they heard I’m pregnant. Let's say my tummy is still flat, they won't wan
"Hey! Mind your words. Sylvester is not a scumbag, but you are. You are the scumbag here. And...you don't have any right to tell me where to spend my money or ask me how I will get it. Whether I have the money or not is none of your business. And if I decide to borrow, that’s my choice. Stop acting like I'm going to borrow it from you. Stop pretending like you care." Anabel said, even though she was already seeing some signs. She just wanted to get on Desmond's nerves. "I do care, Anabel. I care about you, and I care about the choices you’re making. And if you borrow that kind of money, you will spend the rest of your life paying it back. Is that what you want?" "You really think you know me, don’t you? You really think you can stand here and judge me? But let me tell you something, Desmond—you don’t know me at all. You never did. If you think I can’t handle this, then you’re sorely mistaken." "I know you are now rich, even though you are trying so hard to hide your real identity f
"Anabel, I know you will not believe me. You may say I'm jealous, which I won't deny, but I can boldly tell you that you are actually single. I mean, very single." He said while looking at her in the eyes. She could see how mean he was. "Sylvester is not who you think he is. You are dating yourself, stressing yourself over someone whose only intention was to gain financial assistance from you. You are single." He finished, and Anabel struck him with a sharp glare, then crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "Single?" She echoed with a disdainful voice. "Is that what you think, Desmond? Let me be clear—I am not single. You are the one who is single. Don’t confuse my situation with a pathetic one like yours." Desmond frowned as her words hit him with an unexpected force. He hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "At least I didn't lose anything to her. But you… you are about to lose everything you have. I will still warn you. Sylvester isn’t who he says he is. He’s just usin