“This is your flight attendant speaking, ladies and gentlemen; we are starting our approach to Los Angeles. Fasten your safety belt at all times.”As the flight attendant announced their landing in Los Angeles, Anita's heart raced. It had been five years since she left Los Angeles and moved to London to begin over following an unexpected turn of event.Her heartbeat increased even more when she felt the gentle thud under her feet, which indicated that the plane had landed successfully.‘It's official; I'm back here once again!’ She thought as she walked off the plane.The cool breeze blew across Anita Fredrick's face, spreading some strands of hair across her face, as she walked down the stairs of the plane along with her friend and her son, Austin. She felt a mixture of anxiety and disgust as her eyes darted around the airport, remembering how her father's secretary had dragged her here five years ago, forcing her to board a plane to London with nothing but a few clothes on her back.
Sandra sat in her modern office, her gaze fixed on the document she was working on. Her father, the chairman of the company, had handed the project to her to work on without his involvement since she wanted to bid on a project with other top businessmen.Sandra believed this was the chance she had been waiting for—an opportunity to prove herself worthy once more—and she hoped her father would grant her the one wish she had for the company: to be the CEO of Warren's Inc.She was so focused on the document she was working on that she didn't notice her phone was ringing the whole time.She heard a tap on her office door and knew it had to be her secretary, so she ushered her in without looking away from the project she was working on."Ma'am, Miss Bridget said she had been calling your personal line for a while now," the secretary replied with a smile, and Sandra's eyes searched her enormous table full of documents for her phone."Thank you; I will return her call," Sandra said calmly wh
After checking on Austin, Doctor Sam left the house, and Angie had to see him off while Anita stayed behind with her kid.He explained how he would be coming to treat Austin at home while still requiring them to bring Austin to the hospital twice a week for necessary tests and chemo until they found a bone marrow match for him. Anita sat next to Austin and ruffled his hair with her hand, thinking about how to actualize her plans. She couldn't continue to wait for a donor; she needed to get pregnant as soon as possible so she could save her son.Angie returned to the room and kissed Austin lightly on the chin, then Anita concentrated on her phone."I'm hungry, Aunt Angie. I'm craving something spicy," Austin declared, making puppy eyes."Baby, you know mommy wouldn't want you to eat something spicy," Angie said, taking the boy's hands in hers as she sat by his side."You are hungry, right? So let's go get something to eat. But not something spicy," she added with a smile.Angie carried
By eleven a.m., Anita stepped elegantly in her heels into the Blue Ray company, disregarding the stares of the other actresses present. They'd never tire of her attractiveness, and she'd never grow accustomed to not being the focus of attention.The guard pointed her to the director's office, and she wasted no time getting there.Anita knocked quietly on the door of the office, and a voice from within welcomed her in."Good morning, Anita; you may have your seat," the director said, and Anita smiled back.Anita nodded and sat in the chair in front of the director, a bright smile lingering on her face. Her entire appearance exudes elegance.The director took a few documents from the drawer and set them on the table. He began scrolling through them and sighed after a while."Jessica Greg is your manager; she was assigned to you. You don't need to be concerned; she's good at what she does." The director explained, and Anita smiled again, making the director's heart beat faster for her. I
Anita's heart rose as Alexander held her by the hand and took her away from the reporters. His hand firmed on her hand protectively.She was sweating profusely and anxious at the same time, and she was sure that the lovely make-up that Angie had taken her time to do that evening before she left home would have been ruined by now.Her mind was raised with questions and scenarios, fearing what could happen next.Just after they had successfully escaped from the watchful eyes of the reporters, Alexander suddenly let go of her like he had been holding a plague and was relieved to finally have to let it go. And without saying a word to Anita, he walked away from her. Anita felt relief and confusion.Anita, who was still in shock, first looked at her hand and then looked up at his retreating as he walked toward his car.Determined that she would not let him go that night without a word, she followed immediately behind him and suddenly called his name just as he was about to enter his car, b
Anita sat in the back seat of the car as her personal security drove her home. She kept fidgeting and looking through the window all through the journey. Alexander's face and the scene that played out a few moments ago kept replaying in her head over and over again. She was still in a place of uncertainty about whether Alexander had recognized her as the woman he had a one-night stand with or not. But then, if he did, why did he not say anything about it? Or if he didn't, why was he that way toward her?The second question was not a topic of continuous reflection since Anita had come to notice that he was like that towards every other person.But then what if he knew and was waiting for the right time to say it? Or what if he eventually found out in the course of her trying to seduce him?Anita was torn between her desire to seduce him and her fear of him discovering her true identity.And then Lawrence seemed to be another stumbling block to her chances of getting close to Alex and g
CHAPTER 7Anita woke to a pair of small arms wrapped tightly around her. A smile spread across her lips because she already knew who the hands belonged to. She slowly opened her eyes to come face-to-face with her son, who was lying right in front of her and hugging her. He had a bright smile on his face."Are you okay, mom?" You weren't home when I went to bed last night.""I'm okay, baby." She smiled and nodded, running her hand on Austin's head.It wasn't like it wasn't a usual occurrence for her son to go to bed sometimes without his mom being around anyway. She just hoped he would understand that she was just trying to find a way to save him, and Anita was glad Austin always understood her, just like an adult."Guess what, Austin." She had a bright smile on her face as she teased his jaw."What mummy? What are you up to this time around?" He demanded, with one of his brows raised, and Anita smiled."I got a call from the doctor last night, and it seems like there is little hope fo
Hello, Doctor Sam." Anita spoke into the phone the moment she pressed the answer button with shaky hands, her ear eager to hear the next word, that would either change everything and leave Los Angeles for good, or the other way round."Are you there, Anita?" The doctor questioned, his voice thick and low.Anita tried to read the doctor's tone to deduce if she could get a hint of the kind of news he had brought her. But the tone of his voice did not give out any hint; it was neutral. Just as neutral as it was when she sat in front of him the day Austin's doctor in London broke the news of Austin's condition to her.Anita could not help but wonder if they had been trained to properly hide their emotions from showing in their voices."Yes, doctor." She cleared her throat and tightened her fists. "Any good news?""I'm so sorry, Ms. Fredrick; unfortunately, the potential donor cannot help your son due to unforeseen circumstances." The doctor declared in the same neutral voice that he had n
Anita became her father's heiress; she took charge of the company and became president effortlessly.She took care of the company even more than Sandra did, and it blossomed under her care using the knowledge she had studied in school and also with the help of her husband.Anita had always heard Jessica, her manager, talk about how much she missed her ex-husband and needed a man in her life, stylishly matched her with her father during one of her visits to the set, and they were a perfect match. They even started going on several dates after their first date, which was orchestrated by Anita."How was your date, dad?" Anita asked her father one day, when she visited him, to discuss the company's stock."What date?" Michael asked, looking clueless, and Anita laughed."Don't play that game with me, Dad; you think I don't know you have been going on dates with Jessica behind my back?""I have no idea what you are talking about." Michael joked, palming his face.Anita laughed once more. "Y
Two weeks after Alexander proposed to Anita, the preparation for the wedding had started.Anita, Lauren, and Angie were at Warren Mansion, preparing for the big day that would happen tomorrow.The three women were lying on the bed, facing the ceiling, and talking happily about one another."By this time tomorrow, you will have become Mrs. Scot," Angie said to Anita, playfully nudging her shoulder.The three women laughed."I can't wait to also be like you," Lauren exclaimed, smiling."Very soon." Anita nudged her. "And you too." She nudged Angie, who laughed.Soon, Lauren became sober. "Caleb lied to me; he just wanted to come back into my life to deceive me. all over again." She scoffed, darting her glassy eyes."What are you talking about?" Anita asked her."After I decided to give him a chance to right his wrongs like he claimed, I caught him sleeping with a girl in his house. After he had promised me that he loved me and had really come back for me and Anna, I was a bit heartbroke
After Michael got better, he was discharged from the hospital, and Anita made sure to always visit him and sometimes sleep in the house so he could recover fully.Sandra was arrested and later released because she did not commit any major offenses. Margaret, on the other hand, was left behind bars because she was found guilty of so many charges. She confessed willingly just to save Sandra; she even confessed to Gerald's role in all her crimes."He helped me do most of my dirty jobs; he was even the one who helped me get the poison I used on Michael." Margaret had said this at the police station.Michael was disappointed when he found out about Gerald's involvement in what happened to him."I was nothing but good to him; he worked as my assistant for so many years, and I never gave him any reason to be uncomfortable. But then why did he turn around to pay for my good deeds with evil?" Michael had complained to Anita as they drove back to his house. "Even Margaret, I treated her so wel
Anita was sitting by Michael's bed at the hospital, massaging his hand and crying. Alexander was sitting on a chair close to them.Michael woke up a few hours later to see Anita hovering over him with tears in her eyes. His eyes moved around the hospital room, trying to recognize where he was."Dad?" Anita quickly called as soon as she noticed her father had moved his fingers."My dear..." Michael spoke, looking at Anita tenderly. His lips stretched into a small smile as he saw her sitting close to him. "Anita."Anita's eyes were fixed on Michael worriedly, and her hands took his hand in hers. "Thank God you are awake, Dad. For a moment, I was. I was scared that I lost you too.""I'm here, my dear," Michael whispered, trying to sit up, and Anita leaned forward to hug her father for the first time in the last few years."What happened to me? Why am I here?" he asked.Alexander quickly went out to call the doctor to come and take a look at Michael. He arrived together with the doctor."
Margaret watched Sandra's face as she slept after she dropped the call with Gerald. She knew she needed to protect her no matter what happened. Things were starting to get out of hand with each passing day, and she knew she needed to do something bad as soon as possible; she needed to act fast.Margaret started pacing around the room; she could not sleep that night because it was hard for her to even get her eyes closed.She had gone too far to back out now; she had to do something to secure herself and her daughter's future. And there was no way they would have a bright future if they didn't take over the company.Margaret paced around the room even more with her head searching for ideas. She was thinking of ways to convince Michael to make Sandra his successor, but she knew the chances of that happening were very slim; it appeared like he had already chosen Anita over her.Should they attack Anita again and make her get involved in a scandal that would cause Michael to rethink his d
Michael was sitting in his office with his head bent towards his table.He couldn't do anything in his office, and at the same time, he could not go home.His home now felt like hell, especially since he had started to feel like he no longer knew his wife and daughter anymore.Had he been living with strangers all along? Could it be that he never really paid attention to their real nature? Or was there some sort of misunderstanding there?He could not help but wonder if it was really the truth that Sandra tried to hurt Anita's child. Was she responsible for his disappearance?And also what Anita said about Sandra setting her up years ago to sleep with a stranger. Did she really do that? But why would she do that? Was it because of money? Power?Michael's hand occasionally moved to brush his hair. Deep down, he knew he had screwed up; he had created a big mess, and he had absolutely no idea how to fix it. Even Anita was mad at him and wouldn't even talk to him, no matter how he tried t
After the doctor had attended to her, Anita was dozing off in the bedroom. Alexander was sitting close to her and looking at her face while brushing her hair backward with his fingers.Emily was also sitting by the side and watching her."Is she getting stable?" Emily asked him, watching Anita's face worriedly, and Alex nodded his head in response.Just then, Angie ran into the room holding an iPad and scrolling through it."I have been able to get the location," she announced."That's good news, right?" Emily asked, looking at Alex and Angie, and Alex nodded his head again."We just need to hurry there to be sure we can find him there," Alex said and stood up.He was about to rush out, then his eyes moved to Anita, who was still sleeping."It's fine," Emily assured. "I will take care of her.""Thank you," Alexander muttered and rushed off with Angie.They all got into Lawrence's car and drove off to the location.Alexander sat in front of Lawrence while Angie sat at the back as they
Victoria and Sandra are in an abandoned building somewhere on the outskirts of the city.They both looked restless as they paced around the room, looking distressed.Sandra kept casting angry glares at Victoria, who was biting her fingers."We are both finished. Victoria, what have you done?" Sandra barked; her voice had a shaky tone to it."Why didn't you tell me earlier that Alexander is the father of Anita's kids? If I had known that, I would never have made a move to touch the child." Victim admitted.Sandra was scattering her hair with her hands."You have just finished my life, Victoria; you have ruined what is left of my sorry life." She paced around the room some more, scattering her hair. Tears were beginning to gather in her eyes, and she thought of what would become of her life if Alexander happened to catch up with her."And... and the fact that you made me get involved in all of these acts when I clearly didn't want to..." She stuttered. "The boy's picture is everywhere,
"I'm finding it difficult that she could do all those atrocities; she looked and acted so innocent," Patricia spoke with her arms folded around her body, sitting across Emily."She fooled me with her innocent face and good looks." Grandmother's low voice responded, staring into space absentmindedly."We should count ourselves lucky that Alexander rejected her just before she was able to find her way into this family as a daughter-in-law, I wonder what she would have done to us.""You would have probably been worse than Alexander's mother, someone who is capable of murdering her innocent friend just so she could take her place and take over all her family's fortune." Emily retorted sadly.After the police declared Victoria wanted, it appears that her behavior toward Bella went viral.Emily heard of it, and since then she has been in disbelief. To think that she had almost forced Alexander to get married to her.Emily and Patricia were sitting in the garden, discussing the news.Even Pa