Fred’s POVSince accidentally injuring Emily, I hadn’t seen her. My memory of those bandages continued to haunt me, and I sometimes caught myself randomly thinking about them. In an attempt to escape the nerve-wracking feelings, work had become my new best friend, well even so more than usual. Immersing myself in my job, I had spent the last few days at the office, isolating from the external news, and a little from the world. During another late night, out of the blue, a surprising phone call came through from my grandfather. Usually, our calls were business or immediate family-related. Plus he’d also had the recent health scare. But this wasn’t about any of these. He had demanded to know what was going on in the news, or as he liked to put it “this hogwash blasting through the television.” I had no idea what he was talking about, but he urged me to get in touch with our press team as soon as possible. More confused than I had been in the past week, I immediately checked my iPhon
Fred’s POVAll of the turmoil from the press and public opinion, not to mention the pressure from Grandfather, was starting to weigh heavily on my shoulders. I had never been an anxious guy, but I felt myself falling further into a dark pit these days. This incident had a significant impact on my family, not only me. The driver dropped Nancy off at her parent’s house; it was the best option for now. Grandfather’s words echoed through me again: I wouldn’t mind letting Nancy disappear from your life again. The last thing I wanted (and needed) was more trouble involving Nancy, so keeping her away from the scene was the only way forward. “You promise me this isn’t the end, Fred? You’re not going to leave me, darling?” Nancy asked me just before getting into the car, her face filled with sorrow. “Of course not, my dear, I just need a little bit of time to sort things out. Emily and I lived together for three years, you know that. I won’t let her suffer public criticism because of me…
Emily’s POVThe public news coverage was quickly extinguished and my first reaction was that my brothers had helped handle the situation. After a call between Leon, Richard and myself, I learned that this wasn’t the case, which I’ll admit, shocked me. Who else could it have been? Was it…Fred? It couldn’t be. Fred doesn’t care about me, so why would he have a hand in squishing a story that involved me? Plus, we’d just quarreled, and my last words to him weren’t exactly pleasant…This terrible attack on me should make him happy. “He’s probably too busy picking wedding dresses with Nancy, anyway,” but before my mind went down a rabbit hole, I stopped the flood of incoming notions.The next few days were busy, with one client meeting after the next, and tying up a few major deals for the company. I was grateful for the distraction. Now, a little downtime was in order following my latest successful negotiations for one of the AirLoft Group’s biggest projects to date. Amber, one of my c
Emily’s POVWaiting for the worst to happen, I realized this man’s fingers were no longer clenched around my neck. From the mixture of surprise and emotions, it took me a few moments to come to it, coughing as I caught my breath again. A shrilling outcry from the gathering crowd is what activated me out of shock. The next moment, someone gasped. As my vision settled, I looked around me to see where the perpetrator had gone but was astounded once more. Lying there on the ground next to me, he had already been knocked over, and Fred was standing over him! Why is Fred here?! “You better watch yourself,” Fred threatened, aiming at his lower body with his fists, “if you want to walk again AND not go bankrupt, best you walk away, now.” But he wasn’t done with his demands and commanded the man to apologize to the waitress immediately. Looking like a deer caught in the headlights, the man was frightened by Fred’s powerful threats and reluctantly apologized before exiting the bar.“I don’t
Emily’s POVThe following day, Richard informed me that he had sent someone to investigate David’s company. He said that even if it wasn’t the same “David,” he’d rather be safe than sorry — for the sake of the business. Calling me into his office, I pulled the leather executive chair around his desk and waited for him to share his findings. His demeanor told me that what he was about to share wasn’t pleasant. “I’m glad you brought this to my attention, Em. I don’t know if we would have picked up on it otherwise. Although it’s an all-round shitty situation, if this never happened, who knows if we would have found out the truth about this man.” According to our investigator’s sources, David’s company had been manufacturing products that had caused many unforeseen deaths due to quality problems. “I can’t say I’m entirely surprised, Rich, but how does no one know about this?” I huffed back, but Richard interrupted me before I could continue. “Well, sorry to cut you off there sis, but
Fred’s POVNancy relentlessly called me asking me for help following the trouble ensuing David and his company.David’s behavior at the bar disgusted me, but what surprised me most from that day was the change in Emily…She had been so brave protecting that waitress even though she didn’t know her; I had never seen that side of her before…Nancy was still staying at her parent’s place, and after our fifth phone call that morning, I hoped I had finally put her mind at ease. But this whole thing with David did make things a little more intense. It was nearing one o’clock when an email came through from John. It was titled ‘Urgent: David.’ I opened it immediately, unearthing its contents like a curious treasure hunter. John had come across some valuable information. Over the last 24 hours, David’s company had been all over the news. Turns out the ones behind the public scrutiny were the Stewart family. But why would they get their hands involved in dirty business? David’s company was an
Emily’s POVFred’s out-of-the-blue meeting left me confused. Did he suspect something? To completely dispel his suspicion, I informed Sheila that I wouldn’t be the one attending the meeting with Mr. Walker today. Instead, I would let someone else meet Fred in the conference room in half an hour, pretending to be me. Fred wasn’t an easy man to fool, and luckily, Richard’s girlfriend, Sophie, happened to visit him that afternoon. She had brought him lunch and they were still in his office. I had seen her when she first arrived and their laughter still echoed down the hallway from Richard’s office. I really liked Sophie and hoped their relationship would last, unlike my marriage to Fred. “Knock, knock,” I said, peaking my head around the corner of Richard’s office, “I hope I’m not interrupting.” “Ah, Em, it’s so good to see you! I was going to pop into your office on my way out, which should have been an hour ago. But your brother just won’t let me go!” Sophie smiled. “Well, Sophie
Emily’s POVFred’s sudden irritation from the news of my “marriage” was unexpected. Once our divorce proceedings were complete, we would have nothing more to do with each other. That day couldn’t come sooner… Who I wanted to be with was my business and my business alone. I’m so done with all this drama, albeit I had added slightly more fuel to the fire with my last message to Fred. After about the tenth attempt, the phone calls finally stopped and my phone was silent. Opening the drawer, I retrieved my mobile. The next moment, the phone began to ring again. This time, it wasn’t Fred calling. Hopefully, he had given up. A random number flashed on the screen. Maybe it’s a client. I better answer it just in case. Swiping open the call, Fred’s voice chimed down the line. He was using an unknown number; it wasn’t from his office or home either. Without letting him say anything more than the first hello, I got straight to the point. “If this is about Richard’s cheating, Fred, there
Emily’s POVThe following day, stylists surrounded me, handing me one dress after the next. Great taste was not something I lacked — I inherited that from my mother. We finally decided on the perfect dress and moved along to the jewelry selection. The stylist handed me one diamond-encrusted necklace after another, but none of the overtly flashy pieces were my style. Preferring more understated pieces, I went with a beautifully elegant yet rare ruby. Sitting in the chair as the make-up artist began to work her magic, and the hairstylist tumbled one curl over the next with a curling iron, I glimpsed myself in the mirror. It wasn’t too often I got dressed up like this. I had endured plenty of fancy-dress evenings growing up and it wasn’t really my thing. But it did feel good to get dolled up every once in a while. Richard and Leon stood behind me, and with the final flick of mascara, the make-up artist stood back to marvel at her work. “Oh, Emily. You look simply stunning, my dear s
Emily’s POVReturning home, my maid handed me an invitation as I hung up my coat in the entrance foyer. She informed me that the butler of the Walker Family had hand-delivered the invitation in person that afternoon. To my surprise, the date had been brought forward. It was originally in a week. “Tomorrow?” I asked no one in particular, but my maid answered for me, who had received strict instructions from the Walker’s butler. That meant the divorce process would be postponed again…“Yes, Miss. Emily. Well, at least, that’s what I was told,” she informed me. ‘Did he say anything else?” “He said that Mr. Walker Senior always feels sorry for you. So, he wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to an outstanding young man.” There were no words. The way this family likes to insert themselves into my personal business is outrageous. But I knew Fred Senior was trying to be kind; doing it out of the goodness of his heart to make up for his grandson’s behavior. Even if he had a s
Emily’s POV“Did you hear that, Fred?” I asked the caller.“But, but…How? How could it be?” Nancy murmured, before pouncing on me to grab my phone out of my hand. I had released my grip against her and she was no longer pressed against the car door. But I was faster than her and side-stepped out of the way. Instead, I asked “Fred” his thoughts after hearing everything that Nancy admitted to. Nancy was frightened as the familiar-sounding voice echoed through the phone. “Yes, Emily, I heard it all. She’s unforgivable, and I now know the truth,” and with that, the caller hung up the phone. In an instant, Nancy’s face turned pale. She knew she had been caught. Before either of us had time to process what just happened, a staff member came out of the shop and headed toward us, asking us if we needed any help. I wasn’t surprised, we had caused a huge stir, and I jumped in before Nancy could respond. “Ah, yes, could you help me fill up with gasoline, please?” I asked, pointing to my arm
Emily’s POVIt all felt like slow motion. Seeing the car speed toward me…The bright lights peering me down… But my instincts kicked in and as the car neared my body, I flung out my arms in an aid to protect myself from the oncoming danger. However, no pain appeared, and instead, the sound of screeching brakes filled my ears. Instead of speeding off, the sound of the engine rapidly decelerated, and I slowly opened my eyes. The Audi had stopped less than a meter away from me, and the female driver was panting behind the steering wheel. I could hear the heavy breathing even from here. Finally close enough to identify the person in the car; it was Nancy! Her face was full of hatred, glaring at me like I was the worst kind of human being on this planet. As evil as she was, she didn’t dare to kill a person — I hoped. Leaping forward before she had time to zoom off, I ripped open the car door handle, demanding she get out of the vehicle. “Out, now! Come and face me Nancy, and stop hidi
Emily’s POVMy car was parked in the outside lot and I quickly pulled out my keys. Fastening my seatbelt and preparing to drive home, a sudden jab came at my door. Fred had chased after me and was grabbing the door handle with one hand and tapping on my window with the other. His face was red. “Em, please, get out of the car. Let’s talk and resolve this…” he asked me through the glass. I rolled down my window halfway, just enough so he could hear me properly. “Fred, how many times do I need to repeat myself? I sound like a stuck record at this point. Please, stop bothering me,” I pleaded with Fred. “Again, I just want to know why you blocked my number. You never answered my question,” he continued again with the insistent probing. Ignoring his question, Fred raised his eyebrows at me, as if demanding an answer. “Tomorrow at 2 pm,” I stated. “Huh? What?” Fred asked, looking more confused than ever. “I want to get the divorce process right this time, this whole thing is dragging
Emily’s POVIt seemed like my question was a hard one for Fred to answer…Perhaps there was some truth to it that he didn’t want to admit. Trying his best to answer, he still fumbled over my direct inquiry. Opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish out of water, he failed to speak. My patience was fading, but his ringing phone broke the silence. Reaching for his phone in his pocket, he peered down and his body froze. I looked down at the same time without realizing, and saw Nancy’s name pop up; the devil herself. Interrupting Fred and I, it was as if she were laughing at me from the other side. Fred hesitated to answer, so I helped him make the decision. “Wait!” Fred hollered, but it was too late. Snatching the phone from his hand with my uninjured one, I took the initiative and swiped open the call, immediately pressing the speaker button. There you go, decision made. Nancy’s sickly sweet voice cooed down the line. Fred wasn’t impressed with my impulsiveness, but there was
Emily’s POV“Emily, are you okay?!” Fred’s face changed dramatically, and he instantly checked my hand. The metal from his TAG watch had caught my skin and ripped it by accident when he had pulled me. He abruptly took off his luxurious watch and randomly tossed it to the side. One of the waiters at a nearby outdoor table looked dumbstruck, hesitating about what to do with the situation. Rushing over to us, he asked what he could do to help, handing the TAG Heuer back to Fred. “Don’t worry about it, take it, I don’t want it. But I do need you to get me a first aid box, now!” Fred demanded while holding my injured hand. Still in disbelief that Fred just gifted him the expensive watch, as soon as Fred instructed him to fetch the kit, he ran inside without hesitation. Fred’s constant interjections were growing old, and I tried withdrawing my hand. However, Fred wouldn’t let go and insisted he help me deal with the cut. Everything inside me wanted to tell him to leave me alone. The cu
Emily’s POVOh my God, today must be my unlucky day. I’m beginning to think this town is way too small. As if my already bad day couldn’t get any worse, Fred walked over to us and slapped his friend’s arm. “Hey man, that was sore,” his friend declared, making an unpleasant face. “Listen, chaps, you can flirt with any woman in here, or around town for that matter, but this lady is off limits. Do you hear me?” Fred pronounced sternly. “Jeeze, man, what’s with you today, Fred?” the other friend questioned. “Nothing, nothing is wrong, but did you hear what I said?” “Yeah, yeah, alright sure. But who is this woman and what’s she to you?” Just as I was about to put the story straight, Fred answered for me. “She’s my sister and that’s that,” Fred lied. “Sister? Well, can you and your friends please just leave me alone, my dear brother? I came here for some peace,” snorting at his fabricated story. Fred knew I was mocking him, and suddenly looked embarrassed. Without seeming to car
Emily’s POVAlthough the incident with Nancy was unpleasant, it felt so good to cause Nancy a little bit of anguish. She had caused me more than enough upset over the past few weeks. As I exited the boutique, I caught sight of my face in the window. Why would Fred leave me for such a hypocritical woman? Lost in thought, I couldn’t help but wonder where his mind was at. If Nancy were at least a decent human being, maybe I could forgive Fred’s indifference. In fact, I knew Nancy had returned home from her overseas trip a month earlier than she had Fred believe. She had sent me a threatening text message from an unknown mobile phone number. When Fred and I were together, I had saved her number on my phone, just in case I ever needed it. When I received the ominous message, I didn’t recognize the number. But even now, I still remember the exact contents of the text. ‘One day, you’re going to get what you deserve. A little word of advice: watch your back, Emily. You never know who is w