I take some safe steps back, driven by shock and the incredulity of what I just heard. I cannot count how many steps, but I am quite a safe distance from these two ruthless animals! A Merger? I am the perfect merger to save their fucking reputation and the damn company, and they are so casually and confidently rubbing that on my face. Me, of all people? The same one they hid for years to protect the same image? How shameless can these people be, honestly? I was tossed into this cell like a nobody. Like a useless pig. Like somebody who did not have any value at all. And now, I suddenly have a value in which they already bargained its worth because I am their supposed savior? I can’t believe the guts! The temerity of these people! Like seriously? I am still finding it difficult to believe that they lowered their stars and came to me for this bullshit. Wow! I commend their guts! I guess this proves just how heartless they are, then. I mean, me, of all people? Why don’t they trade the
Minutes have passed, and I am beginning to relax after managing to calm Lyana down. My left cheek is still burning, and honestly, I don’t even want to imagine how it looks because I feel like the skin is peeling off. However, despite the pain, I have been able to suck the tears back just to pretend to be a strong gem for the sake of my daughter. But I swear, even my head is spinning now from the impact of that slap.And all for what?What earned me that, huh?Because I stood my ground? Because I refused to be traded like a piece of trash? Because I spoke my mind? Well, they might as well go get a gun and shoot me right in the head because nothing, and I mean nothing whatsoever, will make me allow this injustice. I am not bowing to their evil scheme for anything.“Child? Come to…”I grab my mother’s hand and slap it away before she can even touch the hem of my daughter’s dress. Filthy hands! Worthless grandmother! The nerve!I rise up slowly, my teary eyes glued to her. I toss my quive
“The consequences will be severe. I am giving you a day to think this through. Believe me, Ayana, you only have the ugly side of me as your father. You don’t want to push me to the point where I will be forced to renounce you because neither your feet nor your face will find a place anywhere in this world! Think!” Father’s cold but soothing warning resonates in the small distance between our faces, and after speaking, he takes about three long strides and storms out of the room. He perhaps did not want me to argue anymore, to defy him, to dare him, to crash his ego and authority, which he knew I would. A day, my foot! Even if they give me an entire decade to think things through, my answer will still stand. It is a no for me! I will not allow this! “You should…’ I raise my hand and stop my mother from speaking. They did not understand when I said I had no more lectures, did they? I will do what I freaking want. I know what I want. I mean what I am saying. I believe in my decision.
I trace my fingers along the delicate strokes of my latest painting, lost in thoughts. Trying to weigh just how cruel people and life can be. Or is it just my parents who are this cruel? My precious daughter, Lyana, lay asleep, unaware of the weight of the situations surrounding her. The cruelty and misfortunes surrounding us. Unaware of the cruelty of this world. She is so innocent and pure. Nobody has the right to mess with the little peace that she has. And that is exactly what these cursed De’Marios are doing. What if the man they are trying to marry me off to does not accept her? Hello, this is Africa, for God's sake! I know how issues like these turn out in the end. Messy! Ugly! Some turn out messier than you can ever imagine—a child out of wedlock being discriminated against by the family, siblings, and even the father who promised to care for her as their own. God, I don’t want that for my precious girl! Hell forbid! I don’t even know the dog that these people are giving me
“I asked you a question, Ayana! Who is that jerk you are calling on the phone? Whom did you trap in your wicked seduction now?” Cynthia demands, cocking her eyes as if she has any right to question me. Ooh, well, ever since I turned out to be the black sheep of the family, that is how she feels. I stopped being her older sister. She dropped all the respect she once had for me. She hated me, and she still hates me so much. One would think I killed someone with the way I am being treated for something as simple as falling in love with the wrong person. Love is blind, you know! Anyone can find themselves in a pit such as mine when it comes to matters of the heart. But only I have the sense to decipher that in this godforsaken family. And did she call me wicked? A wicked seduction? Whom did I ever seduce? “I never seduced anyone in my life—you sick, jealous, bitter bitch? It is not my fault, either, that no man has looked your way. You might be the wicked one, and your open wickedness is
I am looking at this little bitch I have for a sister, trying to gauge the loath she has developed for me in the span of these few years. Trying to gauge just how shameless and rotten she thinks I am to the point of me making out with a man with my daughter sleeping just across us. And my student? Robby is too young for me, for goodness sake! And even though he was older than me, the fact that he is my student would never allow me to have him in the way that this bitch is insinuating. Whether they believe it or not, I have my dignity intact. I would never succumb to such immoral behavior as fooling around like that. So this, whatever she is culminating to paint me black, is total absurdity! Sacred nonsense! Cheap, pathetic lies! The hell with these people and making me look bad! Then again, explaining to them and trying to justify myself is a total waste of time and energy. They have already painted with all the horrible colors in the world. It will not help. “Think whatever you wa
I heaved out a huge breath that I had been holding since the sense of blackmail from my sister and her dear threats slapped me. And I take another one to calm myself. To stabilize my nerves and cool down the steam that is flaring in me.She is all cold, raw, and bold, thinking that she has won. She must be feeling like number one. She hit the right spot. I am sure triumphant and mocking laughter is mounting up in her. She is just waiting for me to bow so that she can rapture up and take her crown of victory.But, can I give her that satisfaction? Do I give a fuck about how her accusations will portray me to my parents? What change will it bring, to start with? They have already painted me black, so whether black as charcoal, representing the most stinking sinner in the world, or white as snow, representing the purest soul in the world, which I know is a wonder that can never happen, how they will see me after this means nothing. Absolutely nothing!“Try again some other time. And nex
“I am still waiting,” I say after a moment because it seems like this gross sister of mine swallowed her tongue or the voice just ran out of her mouth. “Why don’t you marry this De’Leon son instead?”She cocks her head to the side, giving me a barren glare for a moment as she thinks of a convenient lie to puke. “That is because I am too precious to be used as a merger,” she says proudly, as if she and I were too distinct from each other.Or maybe we are. Could that be the only reason? Then again, even if this man is this banged up,? Naah! I am wiser than this. I am sure they would not look at it as a deal if there was nothing fishy. She would be the one marrying this guy if all is as good as they are painting. But it surely isn’t. There is a hidden secret behind this marriage facade that they are hiding from me. That is why I am the pawn. That is why I am the one being sacrificed here.But they won’t succeed. I would love to see how they are going to force me into this. Let them try m
“Hey! “ Lian spoke with her signature smile, of course. “Why don’t we first stop by calling it a sin? Let us just say that it was casual sex done for the wrong reasons and at the wrong place. But all in all, we were adults, and we both proved a point that day. Of course, it hurts, just a little, because you did not offer exactly what I wanted. But if anything, Adam, I want you to know that I wouldn’t waste a chance with you even now if I had it. I am not ashamed to be on the list of, you know, all of those you have been with.” She then looked at me. “I am sorry to say this too, but at least I got to taste the famous Adam Stone De’Leon!” She smiles, and I think I am beginning to love her smile now. Eyes roll! “You are lucky, Ayana. You both are lucky to have each other. And this is where I wanted to be—to have you look at me the way you are looking at her, with so much love and adoration. Your eyes speak submission every minute they brush her. Even a fool can tell you love her so much.
“What, son?” His father asks.“The merger that you seek with the De’Marios will happen.” Excuse me, what? I snap at him, and I was just to give him a piece of my mind, but a gentle squeaaze of my hand sealed my lips, opting to trust him, hoping that he knows that these bunch of heartless fools do not deserve to benefit even just one bit from me. “But not on the grounds of my marriage to Ayana!”Fantastic! Bingo! God, I so love this man!Eyes flickered on each other for a long moment of screaming silence, until my father had to break the lull. Desperate old man! “What are you talking about, son? You know you are really growing desperate by the day here. And now, we have damages to pay to the Adrianos for what Grace did. Things are weighing down on us, Adam! So, what do you suggest? Anything that will help at all. We will abide!”So, Adriano, are you asking for compensation for the damage that Grace’s actions caused? Well, they seem to be the experts in not letting any opportunity slide
After a long, unnerving moment, the door opens again and freezes on our spot as our house is swamped with people.Yeah!People!And I am not talking about two or three people here, no! This weird woman is the weirdest of all because, how did she pull all these?And yeah, before I forget, I am not talking about just any other people. Not some ordinary people. Naah!We are talking of the De’Leons, Adam’s father and mother; the De’Marios, my parents; and this skinny witch who used to be my sister. And these other people, whom I presume are Lina’s parents,.Forget everyone. Lina and her parents have a score to settle with Adam, and so do the De'Leons, who have the right to be in their son’s house. But these black souls, these people that God gave me as a family? How dare they have the guts to set their feet here, huh? The nerve! The temerity! I mean, after all they have done to me? And this little brat of a witch, after insulting Adam like he was the greatest sinner the world has ever had
“You got my information from my parents? How? When? Why?” I ask.She steadies herself. “It wasn’t intentional. It just so happened that you both were the reason why some dark secret that was kept in the dark for years was leaked out. Our families, the Adrianos, the De’Leons, and the De’Marios had to meet because that was a breach of contract!” She speaks.I get everything about the dark secret and the urgency for the two families to meet, and I can also understand that tabgle. But breach of contract? What was all about that?“Breach…” I throw Adam a glare to ask for clarity, but he seems clueless and lost like I am, so I decide to ease both our curiosities. “Breach of contract? What contract?”“Yes,” she says, throwing Adam a glance, and she speaks, looking at him as if the words were only meant for him. Wasn’t I the one who asked the damn question here? “Our families, the De’Leon’s and the Adriano’s, after settling for compensation and agreeing to bury all that had happened, signed a
“Hey! I am harmless, you know!” The lady, Lina, speaks, and she even has the bravery to smile at me while my hand freely retreats from the mission of shaking her hand.She had no choice but to drop hers in letdown.She is harmless.The woman that supposedly Adam raped years ago is smiling right in my face, and I should not be worried. She is harmless. Harmless, huh?What is this?Why did she come here?“I know who you are,” I murmur, hoping that we don’t have a problem here, but how stupid of me to think, no, to actually hope for that? Why would he come here if there wasn’t fire in the mountain? “Wha…what are you doing here?” I ask.As Adam composes himself and approaches, his trembling hand clasping my waist reveals the struggle within him. It's not merely a physical tremor, but a manifestation of the turmoil in his soul. I sense the weight of his past bearing down on him, an unwelcome guest crashing into the delicate balance he's been striving to maintain.In his touch, I feel the e
The chirping of the early morning birds calls me out of my peaceful sleep. I peel my eyes, and they almost impair with a striking, sharp pain as they collide with the savage rays of the morning sun. I shut them for a minute, but when I don’t feel those strong arms around me, I peel them open in a flash, turning around. Empty space! That explains why the widow's curtains are open, permeating the savage sunrays. He woke up before me. That has never been him. I always wake up enveloped in his arms every single day of the six months that we have been together. What changed? Is it because of that question from last night? This marriage issue? After he asked me that, and after I failed to come up with a straight answer, I just laid my head on his chest and snuggled into his warm embrace. He understood the memo, which meant I was not ready for that kind of conversation. And he respected it, just like he has always done. He pulled me closer and tighter, and we drifted off to sleep. Did I
“Goodnight, mommy,” Angel says after I tuck her to bed, or rather, we tuck her to bed. Me and Adam. She turns to him and says disrespectfully, "Goodnight, Uncle Adam. You two are the best." Some“Alright. Goodnight princess. Have sweet dreams, and your mommy and I love you so very much,” Adam says, kissing her on the forehead before standing up as the sweet little girl closes her eyes.My sweet little angel. My gift is straight from heaven. What can I give God to thank him for bringing her into my life? She is my pride! My joy.“Shall we?” Adam asks, holding my hand, and I don’t waste time. I follow him behind, leaving Lyana’s room as we stroll across to his master's room. Or just simply, our room. This has become our room, just as his house has become my house. We are better off being called a family. A married couple. Because this is what all this depicts. I forgot about my house a long time ago. All that is left is for me to pick up my belongings and settle here for good. Yes, here
Ayana's anger flared, fueled by the woman's bitter accusations. "What I meant was," she retorted, her voice trembling with fury, "I did not know that Robert had a wife. And no, I have never entertained this fool ever since he came back from nowhere, and I never will. For me, he is nothing but some fresh vomit that I can never take back, no matter what."Her words cut through the tension like a knife, carrying a raw honesty that left no room for doubt. Ayana's resolve was unwavering as she stood her ground, refusing to let the woman's scornful words diminish her self-worth."And as you said," Ayana continued, her voice rising with conviction, "I am with my man. A man worth being called a man, and not some trash!"With each word, Ayana reclaimed her power, asserting her worth and dignity in the face of adversity. She refused to be defined by the actions of others, standing tall in her truth and righteousness.Robert's once confident demeanor faltered as Ayana's words pierced through his
All eyes turned towards the unexpected newcomer, a tired and heavily pregnant woman standing before them. Ayana's heart skipped a beat as she took in the sight—the woman's weary expression, the telltale swell of her abdomen—indicating she was carrying a child.As confusion clouded Ayana's mind, she searched for answers in the woman's gaze. There was a sense of familiarity—a haunting resemblance to Robert—that sent a chill down Ayana's spine. Could this woman be Robert's wife?What puzzled her was why Robert had suddenly reappeared after six years, pursuing her and their daughter, especially if he had a wife—a pregnant wife, no less.The revelation left Ayana grappling with a myriad of emotions—bewilderment, frustration, and a gnawing sense of unease. She couldn't comprehend why Robert would resurface after all this time, stirring up chaos and turmoil in their lives.The realization hit Ayana like a ton of bricks, her mind reeling at the implications. If this woman was indeed Robert's