A few hours ago, Anabel came for a check-up regarding her pregnancy. She had been feeling some pains in her stomach, so she came to check herself. Her hands were clasped together in her lap as she chatted with the doctor after the test had been done."You don't have any kind of complications. Everything looks great." The doctor said with a smile as he viewed her result. "Your baby is healthy and developing right on schedule. The pain is just a normal stomach trouble. I will give you a drug that will stop the pain. "Anabel beamed with happiness when she heard the doctor say that. She was happy it wasn't a complication. She had been a little worried about the pregnancy, but it seemed like everything was going to be okay.While they were still talking, a nurse burst into the room, looking scared and frazzled. "I'm sorry to interrupt, sir." She apologized before she continued. "We have a serious situation with one of our patients. Her health is at risk, and if we don't do something immedi
Bella headed to her mother's ward to see her. As she approached her mother's room, she reached out to grab the door handle, but to her surprise, it was locked.She frowned, wondering why the door was locked. She could hear some people murmuring in the room, along with the sound of beeping machines.Bella's curiosity got the better of her, and she leaned in to peer through the small glass window. What she saw made her heart swell with happiness.The nurses were busy attending to her mother, administering medication, and checking her body. Her mother looked pale and weak, but she was stable, and the nurses seemed to be taking good care of her.Bella felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. Whoever had paid for her mother's treatment had given her hope. As she stood there, watching the nurses care for her mother, Bella felt a sense of peace settle over her. She knew that her mother was in good hands and that she would receive the best care possible.She turned away from the window and lean
Daniella couldn't control the rage that was eating deep into her, her heart was thumping hard against her chest as she made her way to the room. She was angry that Desmond had gone to the hospital to visit them."That wasted bastard, Bella, I know that she is the one responsible for this." Daniella was fuming in anger as she ran her hands through her hair."What am I going to do now? They have told him I blocked her number." Daniella said to herself. She had to do something fast before things went south between her and Desmond.A thought suddenly dropped into Daniella's mind, and she had to act fast. She got dressed and went to pick up the car key. Unfortunately, it wasn't there. Desmond had left with it."Damn it, Desmond. He's gone out with my car again. He took my car to go see those peasants!" She seethed."Was he doing all these to spite me?!" Daniella had to pause for a moment to question herself."I'm sure he is. And I'm going to show that bastard not to mess with me if she trie
"Stop talking as if you really care." Desmond said, but Daniella ignored and walked past him, making her way into the ward.The moment Bella set eyes on her, she jumped to her feet and almost pushed Daniella back out of the ward."You this bitch. What are you doing here? Get the hell out of here before I do what you don't like. The nerve you have to show your ugly face here after what you did!" Bella screamed into her face."Take it easy, Bella." Desmond came in between the both of them and tried to peel Bella off Daniella."No brother, you do not understand, this woman can't be here, she has to leave!" Bella tried to get to Daniella so she could push her completely out of the ward, but Desmond wasn't going to let her do that."Will you just calm yourself down and stop disrespecting my fiancée in front of me?" Desmond ordered her, and Bella had to retrace her steps and return back to her seat, but she kept her hateful gaze on Daniella.Desmond turned his attention on Daniella. "I said
"Move away from her and don't show your face here again until she gets well." Bella yelled at her."Oh come on, Bella, you should give her a break or something. She's clearly sorry, and she's apologizing to you. Why can't you just put the past behind you and forgive her?" Desmond let out.Luckily Desmond was the only one in the room who blindly believed that she was apologetic, and that was all that she needed. She didn't care if Mrs. Elizabeth and Bella didn't believe her, as long as Desmond did—she was good enough with that."You do not understand...." Bella let out, but Desmond cut her short."Just look at her, she's truly sorry. Why can't you just accept that?" Desmond said."Desmond!" Bella said, getting up from her seat and walking over to where Desmond stood. "We are really sorry for pushing you towards Daniella, but please, she's no good for you.""What are you talking about?" A scowl settled on Desmond's face, keeping his intent gaze on his sister."What I'm trying to say is t
"Are we going home now?" Daniella said to Desmond when she approached him."Home? When have I not spoken with my mother?" Desmond replied."I thought you were angry at them." She said, looking up at him."I may be angry, but that doesn't mean I will leave without talking with my mom.""But she's not awake.""I know. I will wait till he wakes up."Daniella left, leaving Desmond in the hospital. Desmond waited till evening, but she didn't wake up. He gave Bella some cash and credited her account."When Mother wakes up, tell her that I came. Take good care of her." Desmond said before leaving....Desmond walked into the room and dropped the car key onto the counter, then proceeded to remove his clothes. As he reached for the hem of his shirt, he heard Daniella's voice behind him."So honey, when are we going to fix our wedding? You know, it's the only thing remaining for us to be officially together.""Wedding?" Desmond asked and turned to her. "How will you be talking about wedding wh
"She never talks about weddings. Why did she suddenly bring it up and even want it urgently?" Desmond asked himself when Daniella left. His mind was telling him she was up to something, but he couldn't tell her exact motive. They were together because of his family and her pregnancy, and things have never been the same ever since Anabel left.Though he believed with time he would start loving Daniella, but her recent character was not something he could just ignore. She blocked her sister and his mother on his phone. And why would she be talking about wedding when the coast was not clear enough? He was losing contracts, coupled with the fact that his mother was sick.At night when they got ready for bed, Desmond couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration. He had been looking forward to a romantic evening with Daniella, but now it seemed like that was not going to happen.As they lay in bed, Desmond reached out to Daniella, hoping to rekindle the spark that had been missing that even
Desmond couldn't believe he was about to sleep without sex. He has never been in that situation. He was angry, but he couldn't do anything. He doesn't want to force her, and he can't possibly fix the wedding because she was denying him her body.Daniella was expecting him to dance to her tune, but he turned, facing his back at her. Daniella was disappointed. She thought he would fix the wedding date if she denied him sex, but it failed.Desmond didn't say anything again, leaving Daniella unsettled. She wanted to change her mind and reconcile with Desmond, but she couldn't. At this point, she needed to maintain her sneeze.Both slept off afterwards. The next day, Desmond woke up and got prepared. He didn't even talk to her.As he was about to leave, he heard Daniella's voice from the back, "You are leaving without even talking to me?""Why will I talk to you? Can you let me be? Can you?""Is it about last night? I...I'm sorry. I....I overreacted, and I'm sorry.""I don't have time for y
The judge entered the room, a middle-aged woman with a commanding presence. Everyone rose briefly before sitting back down as the proceedings began. The judge’s eyes moved across the room, first landing on Daniella and her barrister, then shifting to Desmond, who sat by his mother and younger sister."Mr. Desmond." The judge spoke up, "Where is your legal representation?"Desmond rose slowly and adjusted the cuffs of his suit, then said clearly, "I don’t have one, Your Honor. I don’t need it."The judge raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback by the casual confidence in Desmond’s voice. He nodded and gestured for him to sit. Daniella, however, couldn’t resist the opportunity to mock."Of course you don’t." Daniella said. "You know nothing can help you, Desmond. Even you know that hiring a lawyer would be a waste of money."Desmond didn’t look at her. He remained seated, looking away and totally ignoring her. The judge frowned and turned to Daniella. "Mrs. Daniella, please keep quiet.
"I believed in you. I rooted for you. I thought you were the one who would make Desmond happy by giving him a child, who would build a future with him. I treated you like my own daughter. But you. You had nothing but greed and deceit in your heart. You planned all of this. You wanted to ruin this family and take everything my son worked so hard for." Mrs. Elizabeth said, and Daniella gave a nonchalant shrug. "You don't have to keep wasting your energy ranting. It won't change anything. Let’s just say I knew how to play my cards. Life is a game, Mrs. Elizabeth. I played, and I played well." At this point, Bella stepped forward. "You think you played well? Wait until the end of today, Daniella. You will find out who played better. Spoiler alert: it won’t be you. You will leave this building with nothing but tears." She said, and Daniella threw her head back and laughed. "You are delusional! The law is on my side. You can’t cheat your way out of this if that is what you people are pl
At the entrance of the court building, Leonard was making a call while Daniella was waiting for him so they could go in together. When he finished, just as they were about to walk in, Daniella heard a familiar rumbling purr of an engine. It wasn’t just any car. She knew that sound anywhere. The sound of the Rolls Royce Desmond bought for her. She turned to look, and sure enough, the sleek, glimmering vehicle pulled up to the curb and came to a smooth halt. Her lips curled into a small smile. It was as if Desmond brought it back for her. In her mind, she will be driving it home by the end of the day. "He must have brought it to make me jealous." Daniella said smugly. "Only if he knew that he’s practically bringing my car right to me. How convenient. He just made it easy for me." Leonard laughed along with her. "It’s like he’s rolling out the red carpet for you. What a gentleman he is." Daniella’s eyes sparkled with satisfaction as she kept watching the car, waiting for them
At the other side, Desmond was wearing his clothes, getting ready to visit the court. The moment he would finally put an end to Daniella's schemes. She thought she was walking into victory, that half of his empire was already hers. But she had no idea what was waiting for her. On his desk lay a neatly stacked pile of papers. At the very top was the prenuptial agreement. A document Daniella had signed out of excitement. She was too excited and too focused on her scheme to pay attention to the fine print. Today, Desmond couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she learned the truth. When she realizes she wasn’t entitled to a single penny of his properties or assets. She had built her ambitions on a foundation that would crumble beneath her. He could already imagine the shock on Daniella’s face, the disbelief when she realized she had been outmaneuvered. She had been gloating, too confident that the divorce would leave Desmond devastated and stripped of everything he had work
The morning of the long-anticipated and awaited court day arrived. It was a day Daniella had been eagerly waiting for. A day she believed would mark her ultimate victory over Desmond. She woke up with a smile stretching across her face. Her excitement was practically radiating through the air. She couldn't wait to get her hands on Desmond's properties.She entered the bathroom and rinsed her face, then entered the kitchen to prepare something for Leonard and herself. She didn't take time in the kitchen. Soon, everything was done. They ate together and began to prepare.After taking her bath, she stood before the mirror, carefully applying her makeup. Her confidence was evident in the way she carried herself. She chose a red, sharply tailored pantsuit she had bought specially for the day. A dress that exuded power and dominance. She wanted to appear like the boss she was about to become.For Leonard, he had opted for a more casual look. He chose a leather jacket, which he wore over a p
When Anabel walked in, they had already composed themselves in a way that no one would find out that something happened. "The food is ready, Sylvester," Anabel said. "Oh! so quick." He replied and turned to Vanessa. "Let me go and eat. I'm coming." He said and left with Anabel. She had served only hers and Sylvester's since Vanessa had taken the fruit salad. Vanessa remained in the room while Sylvester went out with her to eat. She wanted to go with them and eat, but she needed to keep up the charade that she can't eat rice and remained on the bed. "Wow, the aroma is great!" Sylvester commented and sat on the seat. "Yeah, I took my time and made it special." Anabel replied and took her own seat. Sylvester picked up his spoon and began to eat. He was eating in silence, all his attention focused on the food. Anabel was expecting him to start up a lovely conversation, but he continued to eat in silence. As Anabel and Sylvester kept eating, a strange feeling lingered in
At a point, she paused for a moment, wiping her hands on a towel, and glanced toward the hallway where Sylvester had disappeared moments ago. She couldn't help but began to think of why he had left her alone in the kitchen. She had asked him to stay and help, knowing that her pregnancy sometimes made tasks like cooking more challenging. She never cooks at home, but here she was, cooking for them. It wasn’t that she couldn’t manage on her own, but his decision to leave her felt inconsiderate. She had wanted his company, his support, and yet he had chosen to be with Vanessa instead. It wasn’t just about the physical help. It was about feeling valued, feeling like her presence mattered. But now, she was alone in the kitchen, left to handle everything while Sylvester tended to Vanessa. She shook her head, trying to push the thought aside. Sylvester had said he needed to check on Vanessa, to make sure she was eating the fruit salad she had brought. It was a reasonable excuse, but at
Vanessa looked up as he entered, then curiously asked. "Has she started cooking?""She’s just about to," Sylvester replied, sitting down beside her.Vanessa smirked, setting the container aside. "Anabel will make a good maid," she said, and Sylvester frowned slightly. "Vanessa, don’t say that about her.""Why not?" Vanessa shot back. "Am I wrong? She’s always eager to help, bringing fruit salads. It’s like she lives for serving us. Isn’t she? She will do whatever we ask without question. Honestly, she will make a perfect maid." She finished, and Sylvester sighed, shaking his head. "She’s doing all of this out of kindness, Vanessa. Let’s not talk about her like that. She's just a good girl and not dumb. She's doing it for the love she has for me." Sylvester said, but Vanessa laughed. "You are talking as if you care for her." "All I need is the money, yes. We don't need to mock her.""But she’s practically doing everything we ask without hesitation. Isn't she?" Vanessa asked. "Anyway,
"Anabel, you are here." Vanessa said. She kept her voice light but carefully tinged with a hint of fatigue to keep up the pretense. Anabel smiled and walked up to her, then set the fruit salad on the bedside table. "I was planning to visit you in the hospital before Sylvester called me to tell me that you had been discharged. How are you feeling today?" Vanessa gave her a faint, appreciative smile. "I’m doing better, thank you very much. You have always been so supportive." "You are my boyfriend's cousin sister. I take you as my sister. I will always be there for you." Anabel said and pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down. That was when Sylvester walked in. "Now that you are home, don't work yourself out. Recovery takes time, so don’t push yourself too hard. Just focus on resting and getting your strength back." Anabel said, and Vanessa nodded lightly, doing her best to appear fragile. "I will try." "Yeah, you need to. I'm here to help and do the cooking." Anabel s