DAHLIA'S POV I walked into the office and my eyes subconsciously search for Carlton. He is seated at the far end of the office but even with the distance and space between us, I suddenly feel nauseated as anger seeps through me. I clench my fist tightly glaring at him, like if we were left alone in the room, I would kill him immediately. I stare at the face that had brought so much pain and anguish to my life. The face of a betrayer. Left to me, if this was truly a business endeavor, for the purpose of generating income, I would never partner with someone like Carlton. Not only is he a traitor, but he is a manipulator and a self-centered person, who doesn't care if people around him are hurt. I came to the conclusion of this, the day he told me to my face that I should abort my babies. And the rest of the foreplay from then was just icing on the cake. As I glare at him, I remember how much his face had tormented me in prison. How it kept recurring in my dream and I would w
22 CARLTON’S POV “Why is Dahlia here? Why was she in your company? Why did she came back? Since when have you been seeing each other?!” Mari-gold had been ranting the same thing right from when we were in the car driving back to the mansion and as soon as we gets in, she doesn’t waste time to attack me. She didn’t even give me room to breath. I throw my keys to the table collapse on on couch. “Answer me, Carlton,” “Get a grip Mari-gold!” I scoff, getting really irritated. “No, why is she here?,” she asks again, impatiently tapping her feet to the floor. “We are business partners. The man you saw beside her, that's Tristan Martinez, CEO of Tristan delight. Dahlia bought shares in my company through him. This partnership will get the company back on its feet and redeem our reputation.” “At least that's the plan…,” I add. “Terminate it.” I sharply turn to look at her in her akimbo stance. Hands placed on the waist, head held high. “What?” “You heard me,” she
Carlton’s pov “How could you do that?” The room is as still as ice as my Father paces back and forth. His eyes inflamed as they glared at me. Apparently, there are already rumours of my collaboration with Tristan Delights. People think I may be framing the company and that is where Marigold's father's speculations came from. “I am only trying to promote the company,” I quietly reply him. “Promote? Don't be a joker. You're destroying everything we have worked for. How could you make such a drastic decision, all on your own. You didn't deem it right to inform me, huh?” I nod my head, recalling our past argument on the company, and the numerous ones before that. When will he ever support my decision. To be frank, I am getting frustrated of all this back and forth. “Do you know how furious the Campbells are? They are partners and you didn't even inform them. How can you make such a reckless decision, Carlton?” The Campbells are Marigold's parents. Her Father has been cal
DAHLIA'S POV A feeling of satisfaction washes over me as I relish the dreadful news about Stewart's Foods Co. that I had seen on TV. As usual, the media arrived at so many conclusions as to why a company like ours would partner with a drowning company. As much as we are supposed to be helping them, alleviating the company's current state, I still enjoy seeing the hate speech on the news and social media about Stewart's Foods Co. I live for these moments. Our company is posing to be Stewart's Foods Co’s savior but the irony of it, is that deep down, we are thrilled about all the slander they are receiving. People even speculate they may have some dirt on us and that's why we are helping them. Although they know better than to expatiate on that rumor. Tristan will end it before it even starts. Lately, the news and social media has been endearing to me and I always anticipate the nasty articles posted on the downfall of a big company. A lot of reporters don't even bother
CARLTON'S POV It’s a relief that the doctor was able to revive Andre After I rushed him to the hospital. And it also took high level of discipline to not go wild on the teachers. Fuck sakes they knows Andre is a special kid, Aren’t they supposed to keep an eye on him? Once again, My whole days went into watching over Andre, neglecting piles of work I’ve to Fix at the office. I called and literally spammed marigold with Text messages, informing her of Audre condition so she could watch Andre while I return to the office. But who was I kidding? Marigold didn’t Take my calls or returned my Texts. Honestly, I’m getting fed up of Mari-gold! Audre got discharged few hours Ago and when we arrive home, I takes my time to prepare his Favourite for him. Spaghetti bolognese. Thankfully he didn’t stress me. He was extremely weak Anyways so he just complied. After feeding him, I got him to shower. I gave him his medicine and now he’s up in his room sleeping. I finally got some time to
DAHLIA'S POV I had just gotten off the phone with Tristen and to say I’m infuriated is an understatement. I’m boiling really hard right now. How could Tristian Agree for me to meet with Carlton Alone at some Restaurant to Discuss about the press conference? Yes, I know we would eventually get to discuss it but why a restaurant. Why not the office? It’s already bad enough that I’ve to stand the sight of that Face of the man I hate so much and now we’ve to meet in a restaurant like some couples on a date? The thought of that Alone is making me cringe right now. I need something to calm my system down right now. so I walk to the wine cabinet, pick out my favorite white wine and pour myself a glass. Circling the glass, before bringing it to my lip, I allow the taste of the wine to remain under my tongue before swallowing. I take in a deep breath to calm myself but Gavin barges into the kitchen in frantic motion. “What's wrong?,” I ask, reaching out for him but he flinches at
DAHLIA'S POV As I stare at my reflection in the mirror, I recall how this has become a frequent action for me since commencing my revenge on Carlton. First the mask party, then the lunch meeting and now this. The press conference is set to begin soon yet I am here in front of a mirror unable to bring myself to move. We are going to be late, Tristan and I. But I can't care less, the though that occupies the bulk of my mind is, am I truly ready to see the faces of the people I despise the most in this world and actual converse with them. “Tristan is here,” Sunny announces as she quickly runs back to the kitchen to continue cooking. I take in a deep breath, and pat myself on the cheek. “You can do this, Dahlia.” Then I put on perfume and leave the room. *^^* The hall is rowdy as reporters and paparazzi are everywhere. I immediately spot familiar faces and my rage begins to build. Carlton's parents are seated at a corner and my parents are seated at a short distance fro
DAHLIA’S POV I look around warily my eyes searching the room for a tall and muscular man. There aren’t many in the room so this should be easy, besides Tristan stands out wherever he goes. But the more I look, the more the appearance of even his silhouette seems vague. Where the hell could he be? I don’t want to spend one more minute than I have to here. I take out my phone from my Hermes bag which every female that passed by me stared at. Tristan’s phone number is the first on my call log since I speak to him on a regular basis. I dial in the number and it goes straight to voice mail. I impatiently stuff the phone back in my bag as my eyes dart around the room again. Still no sign of him. I have to find him, I can’t leave without him, besides we came in his car. As much as I don’t want to speak to anybody here, I’d have to if I intend to find Tristan quickly. The room is getting less crowded as people make their way out. Maybe he’s already outside waiting for me, and like
DAHLIA'S POV I am in the kitchen, making dinner, when Carlton's call comes in. It was shocking at first, why would Carlton call me by this time. Why would he even call me at all? As far as I know we've finalized all our plans for our classes. Except he has some new ideas, there's no reason for him to call me. I contemplated between answering the call or not. I was reluctant to answer it, especially since I didn't want to be caught off guard with what his reason might me. I did tell him about his mom's investigation. What if he's calling because she found something and he wants to query me. I let the phone ring for a while, weighing my options. It will be suspicious if I don't pick and I do have to go to work so whatever it is, he'll still find a way to ask me. Taking a deep breath, I swiped on call and put the phone to my ear. To my surprise, Carlton asked to speak with my kids for the sake of Andre. I was both relieved and agitated at the same time. But my kids will be sp
CARLTON’S POV Dahlia is probably the mother Andre wishes for. And I know that's an awful thing to say, but I've never seen react around any woman the way he does with her. He lets her speak, he listens to her and obeys her. Like Father, like son right?He sees something in her just like I do. I am still in awe at how Dahlia's kids were able to get Andre to laugh. I haven't seen my son laugh in months. And that speaks volumes. Am I a bad parent? Am I going about everything wrong?I'd have to get a parenting manual from Dahlia because how does she do that? Her kids bring a certain kind of joy with them that is just contagious, and Andre is no exception. When they live it always feels like the mood has been dulled, or the atmosphere is suddenly gloomy. Again, Andre is no exception, because since they left he has been salty and bitter. He went back to being the Andre that I'm used to but in a more intense level. I took everything in me to not call Dahlia and plead with her to bri
DAHLIA'S POV Again, Carlton has said something to implicate himself and me in the presence of Marigold. I should be elated but I don't feel like having a back and forth with Marigold. The look in her eyes shows that she wants to engage in a fight and any moment from now she'd have an outburst because of my presence here. My kids are here and the last thing I want to do is fight with Marigold in front of them. The last time that happened, it didn't end well for me. I'm not about to repeat it. So before Marigold can utter a word, I excuse myself from the situation. “I can see now is not a good time, we’ll just go.”I hold my kids by their hands and turn around to leave but Carlton stops me. He's suddenly beside me and his hands are on mine, holding me back. My eyes open in shock because of his actions. I don't know if he's trying to get Marigold infuriated because it's working. The look in her eyes shows that she could kill me right now. Her eyes are fixated on the contact betw
CARLTON’S POV It's been three days since my encounter with Dahlia at the hospital. She still asks about Andre's health and I admire her for being so invested in his well being, something his own mother can never do. But that's about it. She has no interest in reiterating the conversation we were having that day and I respect that. It's a sensitive topic for her and I will be as patient as I can be. My patience seems to be wearing out as I stare at her while she assesses the beet roots on the shelves. We are at a raw food materials store. It's one of our events to prepare for the physical classes. After this we will converge at the front of the store to take pictures. So far everything has been going well except the constant urge to speak to Dahlia. Ever since the day at the hospital, I keep getting intrigued by her. The little things she does, how her fingers gently caress the fruits, how her lips curve into a slight smile as she assesses vegetables. She must really like the thin
DAHLIA'S POV The morning is dull and the sky humid. I make sure the kids wear jackets and have scarves tied around their neck before dropping them off at school. Throughout yesterday night and this morning, thoughts of Tristan have been on my mind. Our kiss, seeing him in so much pain. I wish everything didn't go down the way it did. I have had time to think about it too, and I owe Sunny an apology, and a huge thank you for her impact on my life and that of my kids. So in a good spirit, I make breakfast for Tristan and Sunny and dish theirs in a cooler. I freshen up, drop my kids at school and head to the hospital. The hospital environment always gives me jitters. Seeing people walk in and out with one condition or the other, in pain, receiving bad or good news. It's almost overwhelming, so I quickly make my way past everyone and head to Tristan's room. The door is a little open and I can hear someone talking. I walk in to see the doctor speaking to Tristan about his condition. Bu
DAHLIA'S POVWe have to get him on his feet at least. We'll help him walk to the car and the rest will be easy. One of Tristan's arms is draped over my shoulder, the other is draped over Sunny's shoulder. He is still in pain, and groaning as we push our way to my car. “Almost there,” I groan feeling bad for Tristan as he tries to suppress the pain and not groan. “It's okay, Tristan, you'll be fine. We are almost at the car,” I try to reassure him. Sunny is quiet throughout. We finally get Tristan into the car. “I have to do something, I'll meet you there,” Sunny says, sounding suspicious. She doesn't wait for me to reply before she walks away. Tristan groans again bringing my attention back to him. I'll deal with Sunny later, Tristan is my priority for now. I quickly enter my car and drive to the hospital. I finally found time to get my car from the mechanic shop. Tristan groans in pain the whole way to the hospital and I feel really bad for him. I try increasing my speed but
DAHLIA'S POV “What is going on here?”Sunny's voice gets loud as her expression goes dark. She looks between Tristan and I, her lip twitches as realization sets in and she begins pacing. “Sunny, calm down,” I say, trying to ease her. Her reaction is perfectly valid, maybe Tristan might be oblivious, although I doubt that, but I know how Sunny feels about him. And here I am kissing someone she likes. But I couldn't help it, I was caught up in the moment. I shouldn't have betrayed her like that, still, the pull between Tristan and I was too much to ignore. The way he stared at me, the lustful look in his eyes. If Sunny hadn't interrupted, I wonder how far it would have gone. Maybe it's because I haven't been touched or kissed in a while, because why else will I give in? My thoughts are in a haze but with the growing fury in Sunny's eyes, I have to prioritize her feelings first. “Calm down? You're telling me to calm down? I walk in here, tired as hell from work, hoping to see that
DAHLIA'S POV “Miss Dahlia, is it true that you're having a private relationship outside work with Mr. Carlton Stewart?” One of the reporters asks almost putting the mic in my mouth. I have to get out of this, out of here. How did I get myself in this mess?Oh yes, I remember, I walked out of the auditorium room and was met with this paparazzi asking inappropriate questions. .Who even gave them permission to enter here? And they are asking unscreened questions which puts me in a tight place. “Miss Dahlia, please explain your relationship with Mr. Stewart,” another one shoots a question. I immediately turn and glare at him, he instinctively steps back still keeping the mic close to my mouth. This is too much. The blinding lights, the multiple mics in my face. I can't take it. My head begins to spin and it feels like I'll collapse anytime soon. As the reporters keep throwing questions at me, I feel my knees begin to grow weak. No, no, no. Don't give up on me now. They are givin
DAHLIA'S POV The eyes of the man embracing me grows wide and he immediately pushes himself off me. I feel a little hurt but then I remember that it's Carlton. He's a cheat and sneaking around is his specialty. “We…we were ju…just hugging,” he stammers, “there’s nothing going on I swear it.”I fold my arms across my chest and watch as Carlton pathetically tries to explain the situation to Tristan. Tristan scoffs and moves further into the room. “I know you were just hugging because I know Dahlia, she'd never fool around with someone's husband. It's beneath her,” he says looking at Carlton. I know what he's doing. Yes, everything he's saying is true and I believe it but he's also trying to mock Carlton, knowing fully well that Carlton was sleeping with someone else when he was still married to me. And it's working because the look on Carlton's face says he feels ashamed and he wants to kill Tristan for mocking him. Carlton's jaws tightens and his shoulders get tense. Tristan al