CHAPTER 88LILY’S POV~ As I looked into his eyes, I could see the heart-rending tenderness and genuineness in his gaze. With a heavy sigh, I wrapped my hands around my elbows and leaned against the wall. Since he said I should trust him, I had no other choice but to do that. After all, he had this uniquely calm way of approaching problems that always seemed to work. For now, I could only rely on that and believe he would bring my kids back to me. ~Noah turned towards the camera. “I apologize on her behalf, Detective Adams. Please let her stay. I promise it won’t happen again.”“Very well then,” the speaker sounded. “To ensure it doesn’t happen again, the officer will be present throughout the interrogation. Any act of violence won’t be tolerated. We’ll restart shortly after the suspect’s wounds are attended to.”Shortly after the detective made that announcement, a short female medic a little younger than me with a calm demeanour came into the room and tended to Cassandra’s wounds
CHAPTER 89LILY’S POV~ “Lily or whatever you’re called,” she called for my attention. “I’ll tell you where your kids are only on one condition: that after you find them, you’ll leave to wherever it is you came from and never come back to this city.” ~“I can see you’re crazy beyond reason!” Noah lashed at her, his vexation evident. “She belongs in this city. There is no way she’s leaving and you or anyone else don’t have the right whatsoever to decide that.”“You have no say in this,” Cassandra said to him and looked at me with a corner of her lips lifting to a sinister smirk. “Let the mother decide. One thing I have noticed about you Lily all that time I spent spying on you is that you’re a possessive mother. You prioritize your kids over everything else and never want to see them suffer. The ball is in your court now. You have just this one choice to make to save them. Give me your word that you’ll leave and never come back. You can fly off to another planet for all I care. I just
CHAPTER 90LILY’S POV~ “Miss Jones, Mr. Hills, come to the control room immediately. We’ve got a lead. I think we might have found your kids.” ~The detective’s words sounded in my ears over and over again as I stared at the camera in a daze. It was the only thing I could hear and focus on. Did they really find them? How were they able to do it? I just hope it’s really them. I looked at Noah with a glimmer of hope glistening in my eyes. The look on his face was positive and uplifting too. We quickly left the interrogation room.“No…!” I heard Cassandra’s loud and frustrated voice as she smashed her fist on the table. “Get back here! We’re not done yet. I’m the only one that can tell you where your children are...! You’re fools if you think you can find them without me. I left them in a place where no one not even the police can find them…”“That’s enough,” I heard the officer in the interrogation room say in infuriation. “I did warn you to keep your mouth shut, now you leave me wit
CHAPTER 91ROBERT’S POV~ As my chauffeur opened the car door for me to get in, I received a phone call from Frank. Normally, in times like this when I was feeling down, I’m meant to ignore the call and perhaps switch off my phone for the rest of the day. But since it was Frank, I couldn’t help but answer it. He was my eyes and ears in the tech space in this journey towards finding Lily. He might have some good news for me.“Boss, I’ve got a new lead on how to find Lily, and this one will definitely work this time,” his confident voice boomed through the phone speaker. ~“Really?” My brows raised in slight surprise, my interest peaked as I hesitated a bit before entering the car.“Yes.” He answered enthusiastically.“Let me hear it then.” I relaxed back in the seat as the chauffeur gently closed the door. He went round and entered the driver’s seat. He ignited the engines and the car started moving, straight to my office. I couldn’t imagine the workload that would be waiting for me
CHAPTER 92ROBERT’S POVI stared at my reflection in the mirror as I knotted my tie. I was all dressed up in my CEO attire and ready to leave for work. But I’ll have to make a stop at Jane’s place again before heading to the office.It’s been three days since I last visited and was told by her husband she left for a trip. Though the news broke my spirit as I looked forward to seeing her, I wasn’t discouraged. It’s been three days already, she should be back from her trip. I just hope she was and will be around by the time I come. That’s why I’m living this early in the morning.Her husband had wanted to know the reason I came but I didn’t tell him. This was between Jane and I. I wondered if he’d tell Jane I came looking for her. Since I didn’t tell him my reason for visiting, he’d given me this look I didn’t like. It seemed almost as if he was suspecting his wife and I were involved in some kind of extramarital affair. He’d better not think that way because, at this point in my life,
CHAPTER 93ROBERT’ S POV~ That revelation came as a shock to her because she stared at me with her brows pulled in together and her mouth slightly open.“So you’ve been spying on me like a freak all this time?” She shot at me. ~“No…” I grimaced.“Then how do you know whether or not I visited her when she was in prison?” She pinned me on the spot with her piercing gaze.I wanted to come up with something to cover up. There was no way I could tell her Frank had been investigating her but I was just stammering all through like a fucking idiot.“You want a piece of my advice?” Her expression suddenly changed as she said, stopping me from stuttering further.“Huh…” I muttered, my brows drawing closely in confusion. Advice on what? All I needed was for her to tell me where I could find Lily and my kids. Even if it was just a word. I’ll gladly take it. Since she’d been visiting Lily while she was in prison, there was a high chance she also knew about my kids.“Don’t bother thinking abou
CHARTER 94 LILY’S POV “Are you been serious right now?” My eyes tripled in size and a gasp left my lips as I asked. I was on the phone with Jane. She had called about a minute ago with a strange number. If I hadn’t recognized her voice on the other end of the line as I hesitantly picked up the call, I would have blocked it. She was just telling me how Robert showed up in her house first thing in the morning, asking for my whereabouts. “I’m telling you,” Jane said seriously. “My husband even mentioned he came three days before, asking for me. You should have seen his face. He looked like a puppy left to die in the cold. But I know he was just putting on an act so he could get information from me.” I kept quiet, not knowing what to say. Why in the world could Robert be searching for me? Probably to finish me off along with his cruel family members. But Jane said he had a sorry look on his face but she was convinced it was an act. I didn’t want to think of the reasons he could be sea
CHAPTER 95 LILY’S POV~ “So speaking about men,” she drawled dreamily before quickly adding. “Responsible men to be precise and not foolish ones like Robert, how is your boss doing?”“I think it’s time you got out of my phone…”“So I checked him out on IG,” she cut me off, completely ignoring me. “He’s really hot and is fast becoming one of the country’s most eligible bachelors. Now tell me Lily Jones, why don’t you want to ride that horse even though it’s coming to you!” She screamed on the phone, irritating my ear. Just then, Noah suddenly walked in on us. ~‘Oh my goodness…’ The shock of seeing him made my heart nearly fly out of my chest. I lost control as I flinched and my phone unknowingly fell from my grasp. My movements were awkward and embarrassing but quick as I reflexively caught it, preventing it from falling to the floor.I looked at Noah and a nervous smile made my lips tremble. His sudden presence when we were just talking about him had caught me unawares. He had a
CHAPTER 144ROBERT’S POV~ “Go!!!” He blew the whistle so hard I saw the veins in his neck bulge.The athletes like bulls released from a gate took to their heels. However, as Liam was about to take off, one of his feet slipped off the track, sending him crashing hard on the ground. ~Loud gasps echoed from every corner of the field and bleacher where the parents and sponsors sat as though the audience could feel Liam’s pain as he crashed on the floor.At that moment, my heart pounded so hard I thought it would burst, and I stood frozen on the spot as if caught in a nightmare. Liam wasn’t moving. He just lay there motionless, his elbow covering his face as he buried it on the floor. A wave of fear unlike anything I’d ever felt gripped me at the thought that he might be paralyzed. With the way he fell, it was obvious he’d suffer a very bad injury.Before I could react, I saw Lily running down the stairs of the bleachers like one whose house was on fire.“Liam…” her voice broke out i
CHAPTER 143ROBERT’S POVThe day was brighter and livelier than ever. White fluffy and cotton-like clouds stretched thinly across the blue sky, the sun peeking out to cast its rays on the school field which was buzzing with excitement. Colourful banners and balloons were used to decorate every part of the school and some mascots were gambolling around the environment, helping make the kids and parents happier. Loudspeakers blared from the corners of the field, playing loud, upbeat music and occasionally stopping whenever an announcement was to be made.The students were dressed in their special sports uniforms that represented the houses they belonged – red, green, yellow, blue and eagerly waiting to compete. The teachers who were acting as the house masters stood by the sideline assembling, clapping and encouraging the young athletes.Students who weren’t competing or done competing were seated in a small canopy, each for every house, chatting, taking refreshments or cheering on th
CHAPTER 142LILY’S POV~ “It’s not that Lily,” he countered with a defeated voice.“Then what is?” I crossed my arms against my chest, pinning him with a hard expectant stare as I tried to keep my flaring temper in check. “Tell me because I really want to know. What makes you think I still have feelings for Robert?” ~Even though he was right, I put on a defensive demeanour so as not to make it obvious. I didn’t know how he was able to figure that out because yesterday I acted all vicious towards Robert, and all these while that I have been asking him for help to destroy Robert was more than enough to prove I hated him with a passion. So, I was so eager to hear what he had to say.“I don’t know, Lily,” he shrugged, his expression grave as if the answer was obvious. “Maybe it’s because you hesitate when it comes to hurting him even though you claim you hate him so much. You let chances of getting back at him slip by, always giving one excuse or the other. And honestly? It’s starting
CHAPTER 141LILY’S POV~ “Noah… Noah…please stop, I’m really not myself today,” I said, trying to stop him but that only made him double his effort.“Don’t push me away Lily,” he said with a breathy lust filled voice. “Please, Lily. Let me make you feel better. I’ll make you feel so good you’ll forget everything about that man.” ~Suddenly, he gripped my chin, angling my face toward his as he leaned in for a kiss, while his other hand moved lower, reaching for my right breast.“I said I’m not in the mood today Noah!” I said with an outburst, standing abruptly and facing him with a shockingly bitter expression on my face. “Can’t you respect that?...”“I’m sorry Lily…” he apologized, pinching his nose as though he wasn’t his usual self earlier and was just regaining his sanity. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what came over me.”My brows pulled in as I stared at him as if I couldn’t recognize him anymore. But he seemed so guilty and ashamed of his action he couldn’t keep a steady eye contac
CHAPTER 140LILY’S POVAfter we dropped the kids off at school, I headed to the office. Robert had wanted to take me in his sedan but I refused bluntly, having no other choice but to board a taxi. The last thing I wanted was to keep being close to him. If I didn’t have to see him again then the lingering feelings I had for him will dissipate completely. Worse, if he dropped me off at the company and Noah saw him, it could spark another fallout between them—something I wasn’t willing to risk after seeing how badly they both injured themselves yesterday.Robert persisted, even instructing his driver to tail me as I walked down the road, attracting a few people’s attention. The only way I was able to ward him off was by threatening to scream and alert nearby policemen that he was harassing me. The fear of those made him give up, although reluctantly.Just because he took the kids to school today and will be bringing them back home doesn’t mean it’ll happen again. I made that clear to h
CHAPTER 139LILY’S POV~ “I have to talk to you about something,” I said, breaking the silence because it was becoming unbearable for me.“What?” He raised his brows.“Can we talk over there?” I tilted my head towards the back of my car. “I don’t want the kids to hear it.” ~“Ok…” His eyes flickered with puzzlement as he followed me.Once we were settled, I brought out the DNA test results Liam was holding last night and showed it to him. I had taken it from him last night without him knowing. That’s the reason I wanted to talk to Robert in a secluded area because I didn’t want Liam to see it. I didn’t know how he’d feel if he knew I took it without him knowing. From the way he held it tightly in his sleep last night, it was obvious it was important to him. But at least, he hasn’t realized it’s missing.“How were you able to get this DNA test done?” I asked, my hard gaze unflinching on his. “Have you been seeing the kids long before now?... Did you take their samples without them
CHAPTER 138LILY’S POV~ “I want you and your fancy toy car off my property and this estate for good. I won’t say it again.” I said sternly, fishing out my phone to call the estate security. Maybe he thought I was joking about calling them.However, the door to the house flew open, stopping me. The kids came rushing to him with big smiles on their faces, shouting “Daddy! Daddy! You’re back.” ~Before I could react, Liam and Lila thudded him with a tight hug as if he were their long-lost father who finally came home after years of being away.My eyes burned seeing how much body contact they were making with him. But there was nothing I could do about it. Ripping them off of him will make me seem like the wicked mother, denying them a chance at happiness. Not to mention they were still angry with me for yesterday, the ultimatum they gave me was a cruel reminder I should tread carefully with them to avoid any further escalation.I didn’t make the call to the estate security again. My b
CHAPTER 137LILY’S POV~ Amid my frustration, a sleek black Sedan car, one of the latest models glided smoothly into my driveway, stopping just a few feet away from me as if in a showcase.I thought maybe Noah had somehow managed to find out the kids and I were stranded and sent someone. But as the passenger door opened, I was surprised to see Robert stepping out in style and approaching like a superhero coming to save the day.Seriously? Can this day get any worse? ~Rage quickly filled me. My lips pressed firmly together and my fist balled on seeing him.“Just what are you? A monitoring spirit?” I hissed, my voice laced with irritation. “Why won’t you leave us alone? I thought I made it very clear to you yesterday to stay away from us. It’s that so hard for you to understand? That’s it. I’ve had just about enough of your unwanted presence. I’m calling the estate security to kick your ass out and ban you from ever coming here. I don’t even know how you got access to this place in
CHAPTER 136LILY’S POVThe next morning, I got up earlier than usual because of two reasons. The first was that I couldn’t sleep even after feeling better after I talked to Jane. I kept thinking about how Robert managed to get the kids’ DNA samples and run that paternity test. Does it mean he’d been seeing them long before now because I know it takes quite some time before one can get their DNA results. Robert was just full of surprises. Just how desperate can he be?!The second was I needed to prepare the kids for school. It was hard doing it alone without Nana Mae’s help while also preparing for work. This made me realize how valuable she was and how much I needed her back. I have to get her back. I hope she agrees to come back even after what I did. I messed up big time and deeply regretted my actions.Coupled with the kids' attitude, the morning was torturous, one of my worst. It was clear they were still angry with me. Whenever I tried to make a conversation, they only remained