Chapter 24Lila on the other hand, had my late mother’s soft peaceful hazel eyes and sun-coloured hair which seemed to glow in the light. Her hair keeps growing longer by the day which has made me give her the nickname Rapunzel – after her favourite cartoon character. She loved to play with it and would often scatter the strands all over her face after it had been freshly styled.“You know I love you very much right?” Liam said, causing me to look at him. My cheeks grew red hot with smiles as I beamed.“I know my darling,”“More than anything in this world,” he pressed on, causing me to eye him with a suspicious glance while still smiling. He wore a mischievous grin on his face as if planning something clever. He has always acted smarter than his age with a way of speaking so sweetly that could charm anyone. “More than Lila does, right?”“That’s a lie!” Lila snapped at him, fuming with rage. “You don’t love mummy more than I do. Don’t listen to him mummy,” she pulled my hand so I coul
Chapter 25“I never said I didn’t respect your decision,” Jane said, her face twisting with worry. “It’s just that I’m going to miss you guys so much. Finally getting out of prison, I wanted us to spend some time together as best friends. I can’t remember the last time we had some girls’ time.”She looked at the kids with a wistful smile on her face as they ran around the car happily. “I have grown so attached to them I already feel like their second mother,” she held back a chuckle. “They’re good kids and they always look out for each other. It was an honour taking care of them. Christabel is going to cry her eyes out on learning they’re gone.”I folded my lips in empathy, understanding her pain and feeling bad for her. As much as I wished it could have been different and I could stay back with her, I couldn’t. Leaving this city will be the wisest and safest choice I can make for myself and my babies.“I’m sorry, Jay. I wish it would have been different. I really want to spend time w
CHAPTER 26 About 2 years later… “Wow Mummy, you look so beautiful!” Liam complimented, his brown eyes widening with sparkle and excitement on seeing me. “Yes mummy, you are the most beautiful mummy and the most beautiful woman in the whole wide world!!” Lila added exaggeratingly in a carefree way, causing my cheeks to overheat with a blush as I walked down the stairs. Leaving my past life behind, I embraced a new look. I dyed my black hair a rich chestnut brown and reduced the length to my neck level. I dressed more sophisticated now, always in designers from hair to toe, looking like a modern-day goddess. My once parched and shrivelled skin is now glowing, smooth and creamy like silk, and my face is more beautiful than ever, with light but well-done makeup and a radiant smile that could melt hearts. People can’t believe I’m a single mother of two and not dating anyone when I tell them. Men, both rich and poor won’t stop asking me out. But after experiencing so much heartbrea
CHAPTER 27 With a serious yet light expression on my face, I sat in front of my laptop, crafting a pitch for a potential client regarding our company managing their advertising campaign when I noticed Noah peeping at me from the doorway. He thought I hadn’t noticed him but I did. “I see you, boss,” I said with a sly curl of my lips while still looking at my laptop screen and typing fervently. “I know it’s you. If you continue peeping at me like that, then I might not get this job done and I might also start charging you for spying,” I finished with a flash of playful grin to him. “I’m sorry,” he raised his hand in a playful surrender as he came out of his hiding place. “I can assure you it won’t happen again.” “That’s like the hundredth time you’ve said that,” I shot him a teasing glance, taking a sip of the coffee beside me before turning my full attention to him. “But apology accepted. Now, what can I do for you, boss?” “Is it just me or do you keep getting more bea
Chapter 28ROBERT’S POV“Please exercise a little more patience,” I said with an awkward smile to the client waiting. “She’ll be here any moment from now.”The client rolled her eyes away angrily, impatiently tapping her feet against the floor. She’d been waiting for almost an hour now. Anyone in her position will be angry. And she was a new client, the owner of a five-star restaurant with branches all over the country. The offer she made us was very good. I won’t want to lose it at all.Beads of sweat were forming on top of my brows and my tie suddenly felt like it was too tight around my neck, almost to the point of choking me. Glancing around nervously and restlessly, I loosened it a bit. I checked my wristwatch for the umpteenth time to see it was almost mid-day. This appointment was scheduled to take place in the morning to accommodate other appointments that will be coming later in the afternoon. We were running dangerously behind.“I will be back shortly,” I said to the client
Chapter 29ROBERT’S POV“Scarlett! Scarlett!! What are you doing?” I couldn’t believe the sight before me as I rushed in to intervene. The client was thrashing under Scarlett’s grip around her neck. Her eyes had become bulgy and her face red as she was gasping for breath.I managed to free her from Scarlett. I moved Scarlett away from her to the corner of the room. The client cradled her neck, coughing violently and trying to catch her breath.“You tried to kill me…” she said through laboured breath, her face only reddening more with fear and utter disbelief. “You all in this company are crazy!” Grabbing her handbag, she scurried out of the room.Returning my attention to Scarlett who was glowering in the direction the client left as if she wanted to chase after her, I scolded her harshly. “What has gotten into you? You almost killed our client…what if she presses charges?”“I couldn’t just sit back and watch her bad mouth the company like that,” she said, looking away defiantly.“Sh
CHAPTER 30LILY’S POVThe boardroom fell silent, tension hanging in the air like a heavy cloud. I could feel that almost everyone wanted to say something but was holding back as if something was stopping them.Noah remained calm and firm. “Cassandra, I understand you’re upset, but this decision is based on performance. Lily has consistently gone above and beyond.”“So you mean to say I haven’t gone above and beyond?” She used his words against him, making it seem like she was being treated unfairly. “You mean to say everyone in this room that deserved this promotion more than her hasn’t gone above and beyond? That we haven’t been putting in our best over the years.”“I didn’t say that…” Noah tried to say but Cassandra cut him off.“You didn’t have to say it for us to understand. Everyone here knows you have been all over her from the first day she stepped foot into this company. You think we haven’t noticed how you favour her more than anyone else in the company. I mean she didn’t ev
Chapter 31LILY’S POVI was momentarily rebuffed from what Miley said. Relocating to this part of the country, my only intentions were to start a new away from my ugly past and take care of my children. I didn’t want to be considered a threat to anybody neither did I want to make anybody feel angry or jealous.I always knew Noah had feelings for me, but I have always been beating around the bush with him, never giving in to the feelings. And I didn’t even know Cassandra liked him. The last thing I want is to fight over a man with another woman. That was what got me into the mess with Scarlett. Cassandra can have Noah for all I cared. I wasn’t interested in him. I wasn’t interested in falling in love again.“Poor thing,” Miley looked at me with a pitiful gaze. “Don’t feel bad. It’s not your fault Boss Noah likes you. I won’t blame him either. You’re very pretty. Any man will like you at first sight.”She reached across the table for my hands, trying to rub them and make me feel better
CHAPTER 161LILY'S POV~ “What is it?” He asked enthusiastically.“If you tell me how your injury happened, I’ll promise to buy you whatever you want and tell you everything you need to know about me.” ~“Deal!” Liam thought no further as he said excitedly, bringing out his hand for a handshake to seal the agreementTypical Liam. I knew he’d accept because there was no way on earth he’d say no to such a tempting offer. Now watch, he’ll probably tell her to buy him an airplane… or the latest PlayStation he’s been begging me for since forever.Mrs. Juliana gladly accepted. “You’re such an interesting young man,” she commented, looking at him in awe and ever-growing affection “I can’t wait to meet your twin sister. No doubt she’ll be as interesting as you and as beautiful as your mother.” She said, shooting me a playful wink.I smiled and shook my head lightly, a little flattered by her words. Liam, meanwhile, launched into full storyteller mode, telling her Lila’s name, his name, liter
CHAPTER 160LILY’S POV~ She pulled closer and took my wrists, catching me off guard as a soft gasp left my lips, pleading as if her life depended on it. “If he came here, that meant you two know each other. Please you must help me reach out to him. I need to talk to him…I need to see him…I need to see my son….” ~After Robert’s mum said that, I heard footsteps behind me as someone was descending the stairs with heavy steps. I turned back to see Liam. He was limping down the stairs with difficulty.On seeing him, I quickly rushed to him, helping him. “I thought I made it clear to you not to come down the stairs without my help. Do you want to hurt yourself further?” I said, doing my best not to sound mad as I guided him down the last step and towards the sofa so he could sit.After his surgery, Liam had been using crutches and was also placed on physical therapy, which he was showing steady progress. However, due to his delicate state, he had to be on constant monitoring. As a result
CHAPTER 159ROBERT' S POVA few minutes on the road, my phone rang. I checked the caller ID to see it was Lily calling. A wave of relief washed over me knowing it was her and she was probably doing alright. Connecting via Bluetooth, I quickly answered the call.“Hey Lily…”“Hey Robert…”“I have something very important to tell you…” We said in unison.Realizing we both said the same thing in a nervously alarming tone, we paused, an awkward tension hanging heavy between us.Clearing my throat and trying to keep it cool, I spoke. “You first, please go ahead.”“Okay,” she took a deep breath as if to calm herself. That made me realize that whatever it was she wanted to tell me was probably very important. As a result, I kept quiet, the suspense cutting deep.“A…are you driving?” She asked, thrown off balance.“Yeah…” I said with a somewhat squeaky voice.“How can you be driving in this weather?...”“It’s nothing, I can handle it,” I said casually.But to be honest, driving in this weather
CHAPTER 158ROBERT’S POVI was still confused as hell. I didn’t know how it got to this. I was just seated on my own, minding my business, drowning my sorrows with a drink because I’ll be leaving anytime this week. Liam was recovering just fine and Lily was taking good care of him and Lila. There was no other reason for me to stay. It was clear they didn’t need me to survive. And I noticed that whenever I came around it made Lily feel uneasy and uncomfortable.Then all of a sudden, this mentally deranged psycho showed up, initiating a fight. I couldn’t help but wonder how Lily was able to work with this psycho for all these years with how mentally unstable he was. It was obvious he was fooling her and everyone. I could have sworn the first day I saw him I thought he was the most gentleman I had ever come across in a long time, not knowing he was a sheep in wolf clothing, a beast in human form.He played a sound recording he claimed was a make-out between him and Lily. Even though I t
CHAPTER 157NOAH’S POV~ He finished, then sank back into his seat, that furious expression still etched on his face as he grabbed his drink and took a violent sip.From the looks of it, it was obvious he hadn’t yet found out the truth – that I was his long-lost twin brother. That old bitch probably hasn’t called him to tell him which was good because I don’t want him finding out at all before his death. He can find out while rotting in hell. ~I wasn’t intimidated by him as I fired on. “Well, I have everything to say to you. Stay the fuck away from Lily. You had your chance and you blew it, now she’s mine. Can’t you get into your thick empty skull that she hates you and wants nothing to do with you? Why go through all this pathetic desperation, knowing fully well she’ll never accept you? Why keep clinging to something long dead?”He cut me off with a loud mocking laugh which wasn’t what I expected. “You’re delusional if you think you could ever have a chance with Lily. Sorry to bur
CHAPTER 156NOAH’S POVAfter getting rid of my foster parents and taking over their business empire, I used the available resources to find my biological parents and family. For years I have been monitoring them, hovering over their lives like an eagle without them knowing, patiently planning the perfect revenge mission.I found out they were a powerful family, one of the richest in New York. It broke my heart and made me angrier to know that despite all that wealth that possessed, they still chose to abandon me, choosing my twin brother over me. I mean what does he have that I don’t? Who knew when my biological parents chose to abandon me? Perhaps it was right after I was born, the moment the umbilical cord was cut. Was my birth that insignificant? Aren’t twins supposed to be a blessing? If that’s the case, then why did they choose to abandon me?They might have probably dumped me somewhere like spoilt food before the adoption agency found me because that’s how most kids in adoptio
CHAPTER 155NOAH’S POVI was adopted. Growing up, it bothered me so much that I was different. I shared no form of resemblance to my foster parents who hid the truth from me and never seemed to fit in. I didn’t even have a sibling. Back then, everyone had a sibling or a pet but I couldn’t because my so-called parents couldn’t make me one and I was fucking allergic to fur.My foster parents owned a lot of establishments and enterprises. They were filthy rich and even though they bought me whatever I wanted and never let me lack anything, they were never there for me, leaving me in the care of our maid who was dumb and stupid. The only thing she was good at was cooking and cleaning. I was a quiet, reserved kid who couldn’t properly express himself through words. You would have to know me well and pay close attention to understand me. Because of that, I had a hard time growing up because no one understood me, not even my own parents.I once suffered an accident that made me lose a lot
CHAPTER 154NOAH’S POVFuck! Fuck!! Fuck!!!Anger like never before rippled through me as I pressed my foot harder on the gas pedal, gripping the wheel so tight my knuckles turned white. My car roared down the road at a reckless speed, as if I wasn’t even on a road teeming with cars.My speedometer climbed to 60, 70, 80, my engine growling like a beast hungry for destruction, but I didn’t slow down. Headlights flashed past me, horns blared, and some cars even swerved to avoid me. But I didn’t give a fuck. I was so angry I could run someone over and not even care.Good thing this wasn’t a major road and no police were around, otherwise, I would have been slapped with charges before I could even hit the brakes.This was all Lily’s fault. If only she’d made up her mind and agreed for us to leave the country when I brought the suggestion up, this wouldn’t happened. I wouldn’t have seen that neglectful tramp that called herself my biological mother.Ever since I made it clear to Lily that
CHAPTER 153LILY’S POV~ I didn’t respond to her, acting as though she wasn’t even there. I wanted to grab my purse, my phone, my car keys, my coat, anything that’ll help me locate Robert when the door squeaked open and Noah walked in.My breath glitched and I froze as I saw him. He was holding a bouquet of fresh flowers and carrying a plastic probably filled with other goodies. I wasn’t expecting him at all. What was he doing here?However, his reaction wasn’t one I expected. He stood frozen on the spot, his face paling with shock as though he’d seen a ghost as his gaze flicked from mine to Robert’s mum and again and again. Suddenly, he dropped everything he carrying like they didn’t matter and ran out the door. ~ My brows furrowed deeply as I couldn’t understand the reason Noah reacted that way. “Noah… Noah…” Leaving everything else, I darted towards the door to chase after him, hoping to call him back.But before I could, he was already in his car. The tyres of his car screec