OLIVIA
When I walked out of Marcus’s ward, Nick was standing there. I greeted him then left. My man told me to have nothing to do with him and that was what I was doing. I was giving myself a chance to be happy and I was not going to get that if I kept Nick Jones around. Our chapter together has ended, and I was opening a new chapter with Marcus.
What did he and Sandra say again the day they locked me up? Oh, I got it. They said, I was busy cheating with my high school sweetheart. Yet, Marcus was not even back at the time. Now I was doing exactly what they said I was doing back then. Except, I was not cheating like they said. Nick and I were divorced, and I was free to do whatever I wanted.
With a smile on my face, I took the elevator downstairs. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Marcus did to me. damn! That man had skilled hands. I could still feel the sensation down there and it was… I couldn’t describe it. Whe
NICKAfter watching Olivia leave, I turned my head to the room and Marcus was already looking at me with a smirk on his face. I wanted to wipe it off with a punch. The bastard, he thought he had won. But he has not. Olivia was still mine in every way that counted. He was just a distraction I was going to get rid of.I walked into his ward. “Good to see you are feeling better Marcus, though I would be careful if I were you. somethings might just get you sleeping forever. But not on that comfortable bed but on the slab in the mortuary downstairs.” He laughed.“Nick, you are funny, how come I didn’t know you were such a funny guy?” he was pissing me off, he thought he could mess with what was mine and I would let it go. “I am only going to warn you once, leave my wife alone.” He turned serious in seconds. Good, now we were getting somewhere.“Or what? And she is not your wife, stop calling her
OLIVIAMinutes turned to hours with those two unable to get hold of their boss. They were getting impatient and frustrated, and it scared me. I did not want them to take out their frustrations on me and I didn’t want my son to grow up without me. I had already lost so much time with him I didn’t want to lose more.“What the fuck are we going to do now? We have been here for hours and still can’t get hold of her.” The driver said to his partner, I sat there calmly watching them. there was no need to agitate them, they were already going crazy because their boss was not picking up. “I don’t know man; we can lock her in here and come back tomorrow.”Oh no! that was not good. I couldn’t be there for that long, I had already been gone for the whole day, Samuel and Lupita were going to expect me to come home soon. They had not heard from me since morning. It would worry them if I don’t show, and they can’t get through to my phone.“I don’t get it; she was so desperate to have her and now she
OLIVIAShock covered his face, eyes wide and his men took steps closer to their boss pointing their guns at me. what the hell did they think I was going to do? I couldn’t even fight and yet they pulled their guns on me. He turned to them and glared. They lowered their guns putting them away before stepping back.He looked back at me then suddenly burst out laughing. I was confused as to what he was laughing at. He was crazy. “That, I can work with. But you still have more to learn, slaps don’t usually work when you are dealing with bad guys. You need to learn how to shoot and how to fight properly.” I looked at him.I know I said I wanted to learn but I never said I wanted to learn how to shoot or to learn from him. what the hell gave him the idea that I would ask him for anything. I just walked past him and got into the car he came out from. I was tired and hungry. I just wanted to go back to the hotel, see my son, have a shower and a goodnight sleep.Few minutes later he can into th
OLIVIA“I didn’t mean to hurt your mother; you have got to believe that. we spent weeks scouting and learning that man’s routine. Your mother was never with him, he was always alone. We thought he was alone that day as well, but your mother was with him.” he tried to explain but my head was buzzing and the pain I felt in my heart was unimaginable.He claimed to love her and yet, he killed her. “Why did you want to kill the poor man in the first place? He did nothing to you!” I yelled in anger. “He was not as innocent as you think, he did nothing to me, but he was abusing your mother. The bastard hit her, and I was not going to sit back and let it happen. The plan was to get rid of him and take you both into hiding so the Don won’t find you.”I chuckled. “How did that work out for you, huh?” he averted his gaze from me and looked back out the window. “It didn’t work out as you know, the love of my life died because of me.” that was all he could think about. What about me? I suffered af
MARCUSAs soon as I was told about what Jones was doing. I asked my people to make sure my money was safe, I didn’t care about the businesses he was targeting, they only represented a fraction of what I owned. The man didn’t know who I was, he thought he was dealing with an ordinary man, but I was far from it.I was raised by my mother until I was sixteen when big men in luxurious cars showed up one day. I didn’t know who they were or why they were there. Their auras scared me, I was after all just a poor boy living with his mother, such cars I only saw on tv at a friend’s house as we didn’t have any at home.There was just something about them I couldn’t put my finger on. Something familiar especially about the one who seemed like he was the boss and yet, I had never met the man. My mother called me that day and told me that the man who came was my uncle.I thought mom didn’t have family, but she told me he was not from her side but my father’s side, my blood boiled when I heard tha
OLIVIAAfter staying in my room for hours with Lupita comforting me. I ended up falling asleep. I don’t know when Lupita left my room but when I woke up this morning. She was nowhere to be found but Samuel was next to me watching me. A smile formed on my lips. “Morning baby how are you?” he giggled burying his face on my chest.My heart warmed, in whatever happens in my life, I would never be alone, and I have unconditional love from this little boy. I am blessed. “Food mama.” I smiled getting up then picking him up going to the front. Breakfast was already there; grandma was already eating. “You are here, good. I thought I will have to come and get you two.”I placed Samuel on his seat and took mine. “Mmm, everything looks so good.” As if on que my stomach rumbled. Samuel laughed. “Mama is hungry boy.” I was since yesterday but when I got back, I was too sad to eat or even think about food.“Turn on the tv Lupita, I want to watch the news or at least listen to them.” grandma said, he
OLIVIAI didn’t know if I heard right or if I was hearing things, but I just stood there waiting for him to repeat himself. “Talk to me.” he said, and I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. “Am not sure what am supposed to say.”“It’s a simple answer that I am looking for, a yes or a no.” oh, Lord, he did ask me to marry him. oh God. I never thought I would get married again and I was fine with that. also, Marcus and I just started dating. “You don’t know me that well to be asking me to marry you and besides, we have a lot of work to do. Nick is attacking you and that means his attacking me too. Let’s focus on that.”He said nothing and just looked at me. I didn’t know what else to say, so, I took a seat and looked out the window. “Look at me, Olivia.” I turned to look at him. “Do I look like I am worried about what Nick is doing?” he didn’t look worried at all. It was like those businesses meant nothing to him.“No and why is that. why are you not worried about wh
NICKMy feet felt heavy as I walked out of the room, I felt empty inside as I was leaving my heart behind. She did not want me anymore and she was ready to marry someone else. Why couldn’t she see me, why couldn’t she see that I was there, trying to make things right between us. Why won’t she give me a few minutes of her time to explain what I had been doing?It hurt me to see her cry like that, for the first time since she got out, I saw how hurt she was by my actions. I wished I could tell her how much I regretted everything, how sorry I was and to tell her that I had fixed grandma’s grave. That I had sent Sandra up stairs and had her locked up in there. That she was never going to hurt her or us again.To tell her that everything was going to be okay, that I didn’t care if Samuel was not my son or that she slept with Marcus, I didn’t care about any of that. I just wanted her back. I needed her back. Tension gathered on my shoulders, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I went to the
NICKLuke’s face changed from shocked to anger very quickly. “Tell him, tell the moron where we are!” he bellowed throwing his hands in the air. “How could this moron do something like this? I am the only one who is supposed to do things like these. You boys are supposed to keep your hands clean!” he paced the room.He was frustrated. “Since when did Marcus become worse than me in things like these, just what the hell is wrong with him?” he said to no one in particular. I didn’t know if he was just frustrated or a little impressed by his son in law. He turned to me with a glare. “What the hell are you waiting for? Do you want him to bomb more cities before you tell him where the hell we are?”I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Just moments ago, Luke had been telling me to keep everything from Marcus, and now, here I was, being blamed for not telling him where we were fast enough. It felt like I had no place to stand, caught between a rock and a hard place. But it wasn’t the time t
ETHANThe moment Nick hung up the phone, his face shifted, his expression unreadable. It was as if all the colour drained from him in an instant, his skin paling in a way that I had never seen before. I had been around Nick long enough to know that he was no stranger to bad news, but this? This was different. It was as if something beyond our worst fears had just been set in motion.We had already been living through the chaos, Luke, Xander, Olivia’s disappearance, and now, the kids were safe with us. That much, at least, had been a small mercy in the storm. But Nick looked like he had just been hit with the weight of something even worse, something that none of us could prepare for. My mind raced, trying to figure out what could possibly be so bad. And then it hit me. Could it be…? No, it couldn’t be.Before I could make sense of it, I moved closer to Nick, my concern deepening. I needed to make sure that whatever was going through his mind wasn’t as bad as I feared. Leaning in, I wh
NICKI had been holding onto the hope that once Xander showed up, everything would fall into place. That the mess would be cleaned up, and we could put an end to the nightmare that had been plaguing us.Luke and Xander reached some sort of agreement, at least, that’s what I gathered, but the specifics were still hazy in my mind. Luke had told Xander to bring Olivia, or he would destroy his father’s remains.What exactly that meant, I wasn’t sure. It felt like a vague threat, but the tension in the air told me it wasn’t just idle talk. Xander responded with some sort of counter-deal, loaded with things I couldn't follow. Honestly, I was drained. I didn’t care about the details anymore. I just wanted this whole nightmare to be over. But Xander wasn’t backing down, and neither was Luke.Luke had his men tail Xander. And, as expected, Xander went straight to the hotel. He wasn’t trying to outsmart anyone or go off the grid. He was playing by his own set of rules, one that I didn’t fully u
XANDERI was about to take the biggest gamble of my life, and I knew it. Luke was offering me a choice, an impossible one. It was a trap, a setup where only he could win. The terms of his proposition were clear: there would be no chance for me to exact my revenge on him, and there was a very real possibility that I would lose my life in the process. But I wasn’t ready to die, not yet. Not when I had a son waiting for me, hoping I would make it back.I had to think fast. Luke had me cornered, but I couldn’t show him how much fear his words stirred inside me. I had to put on a face, act like I was in control, even if I wasn’t. It wasn’t just about surviving this moment; it was about finding a way out. I wasn’t going to let him win that easily.I stood tall, trying to exude confidence, even though inside I felt like a bundle of nerves. My heart hammered in my chest; my hands clenched into fists at my sides. I could feel the sweat starting to bead on my forehead. If I didn’t hold it toget
XANDERFor the past few days, I had watched them stumble around in their futile attempts to track me down. Every morning, they would set out at dawn, and every night they would return empty-handed, their efforts wasted. It was amusing to me.They had no idea where to look, no real understanding of how to hunt someone like me. It was almost laughable. I had thought they were dangerous, but I quickly realized how wrong I was. There was nothing good about them, nothing that made them worthy of fear.Perhaps they just hadn’t met their match yet. Until now.Now, they had encountered me, and they knew they were nothing compared to what I was capable of. They were amateurs, playing a game they couldn’t win. But Olivia... she was another story. She surprised me. I had expected more resistance from her, some fight, some fire. But instead, she complied. She ate the food I gave her, barely muttering a word of protest. The silence was almost worse than anything. I could tell that the trauma from
NICKThe island was still, too still. No one slept that night. Luke had kept busy with his men, the sound of his voice drifting through the halls, low and intense. I couldn’t make out the words, but I could tell they weren’t discussing anything good.Ethan had joined them; he was more involved than I would have liked. I had asked him to keep an eye on Luke, to make sure things didn’t escalate further. I didn’t trust Luke, not when he was like this, wild, unpredictable, the kind of man you couldn’t reason with once his mind was made up. He was like a caged animal finally set free, and I was terrified of what he might do to the people on this island. They were innocent; they didn’t deserve to be dragged into whatever madness Luke was planning.As for me, I was stuck dealing with the kids. I tried to keep my mind occupied, tried to push away the dread gnawing at me. But before anything, I knew I had to prepare. I organized money, lots of it. It felt like I was bracing for something big.
NICKIt had been three days since Olivia disappeared, the longest, most agonizing three days of our lives. Every day felt like a never-ending loop of despair. We woke up, checked the rooms, scoured the island, hoping to find some trace of her. But no matter how much we searched, it was as if she had vanished into thin air. There was no sign of a struggle, no indication that she had left the room, and absolutely no lead to follow. It was like she was swallowed up by the earth itself.The island wasn’t that large, and it seemed impossible that someone could just disappear like that. But here we were, endlessly combing through every corner, every inch of the place, but we kept coming up empty. It felt like we were chasing ghosts. The stress, the exhaustion, the hunger, none of it was helping our situation. It wasn’t that we didn’t have food. We had plenty of food. But none of us could bring ourselves to eat.The nanny we had hired to take care of the kids, a kind woman, had been cooking
OLIVIAThe tears wouldn't stop. I was completely numb to the pain in my feet, but the sight of Xander meticulously cutting and removing my toenails sent waves of horror and helplessness through me. I had no idea whether toenails grew back after they were surgically removed in such a brutal way, but the thought of it made my stomach churn.“Please…” I sobbed, my voice breaking as I pleaded with him. The tears streamed down my face, unable to stop. I wasn’t sure what was worse, the pain I couldn’t feel or the torment of watching him work so calmly, so coldly. It was as though he had done this a thousand times before. The sight of the tiny toenails being placed in a small, neat box made my breath catch in my throat.“Why are you doing this?” I gasped between sobs, barely able to force the words out. It felt like my whole body was shaking, though the numbness in my feet made it hard to tell if that was real or just my mind frantically trying to escape the horror.Xander didn’t even flinch
OLIVIAA tremor ran through my body as I saw him coming closer, his hand gripping another needle. I had come to fear both needles and Xander, for they had been the instruments that brought me to this terrifying place. The thought of either one made my skin crawl. My muscles, once eager to run, now felt like they were trapped under thick layers of cement, unmovable and heavy."Please, Xander," I begged, my voice strained with desperation. "We don't have to do this. We can talk about it. There is no need to go this far."He didn't even flinch at my plea. He stood still for a moment, his expression a cold mask of indifference. Then, as though the thought amused him, he chuckled softly."Come on, Olivia. This needle? It's not going to hurt you. It’s going to make everything much more interesting. You will be numb; you won’t feel any pain. I promise," he said, his voice laced with a twisted reassurance.How could I trust any