Clara's POV“Is the camera all set, mommy? You remembered to bring it, didn't you?" Layla asked.We made our way to her school. With one hand on the steering wheel, I dug into my bag with the other. As soon as I discovered what she was referring to, I pulled it out and presented it to her. "Of course, I remember."She smiled with satisfaction, and I couldn't help but smile back. I just wanted to ensure she wouldn't have to stress about anything. Today, I made it a point to ensure the show was thoroughly documented, so we could watch it later, just like I promised her yesterday.We got to Layla's school ten minutes later. I parked the car, and we jumped out. When we got there, the school was already pretty packed with the students mostly her classmates already hanging out. Most of them were accompanied by their parents.I noticed Layla's gaze swapped around before she looked at me "Where's Uncle Keith?"Keith couldn't give us a ride because he had an unexpected meeting at his office
Clara's POVJames remained unfazed by my threat, and it frustrated me. It frustrates me to realize that even now, after gaining some power and not feeling as weak as I once did, It is still not enough to stand against him, let alone beat him."Clara, don’t you think your attitude is a little too much? I just ask about where your daughter is; I have no desire to harm her at all. Please don't take this the wrong way." He went into detail.But I chose not to be deceived. I could tell what he was really thinking; he asked where Layla was so he could harm her.“Oh, I get it, your daughter is one of those kids who performs, right? She’s one of those talented kids. It's a shame you're the only one here to see this." He said.I lost my temper. His words got under my skin. "What does that mean, James?" "Where's her dad? He should be here with you to see her talent shine. Why aren't you inviting him to a special event like this?"I balled my fists. "If it weren't for what you did to me, Layla
James' POVI think Clara really took her daughter out of there after our encounter earlier. Because I haven't seen them anywhere though I've been searching for them for a while. Maybe if I had gone after her right away I wouldn't lose her track like this. I set my time to come to this place just to see her, but now she's gone.Why is that? The question keeps echoing in my mind. What makes her so anxious about me being close to her daughter? She treated me like I had a past of kidnapping and selling children, now viewing me as a danger to her kid.Her final words, when I brought up the father of her daughter who wasn't able to attend this event, lingered in my mind.Why is she bringing up our past relationship? About the way I treated her back then? Yeah, I used to be awful to her, and I regret it now. But why does it have to do with the absence of her daughter's father?I tried to figure out how old her daughter was and the year Clara pretended to die just to get away from me. If I'
Clara's POVAs soon as I got to my restaurant, it was crowded with people. I noticed some of the last customers rushing out; I think Diana has informed them that we’re temporarily not accepting dine-in. As soon as I reached my car, my eyes caught a glimpse of black smoke rising into the blue sky, and my heart sank instantly.Without a second thought, I rushed straight to the source of the chaos: my kitchen. I pushed through the back door, even though I could see the firefighters working to extinguish the flames, and it was obvious they weren't allowing anyone else in at the moment. But my mind was so clouded with panic that I couldn't think clearly.I burst through in a panic, and a thick cloud of smoke hit me, stinging my eyes and searing my lungs. Suddenly, a hand pulled me out without warning."Ma'am please stay right here! They need to extinguish the flame first until everything is safe for us!"I knew it was Diana's voice. She was right, but I was too overwhelmed and anxious to r
Clara's POVI didn't even have a moment to respond to Miss Olivia because the next second, I rushed out of my apartment, headed downstairs, and jumped into my car to drive off. It was already nighttime. It was already dark outside. Of course, what else could you expect? It was nearly nighttime.My daughter still wasn't back home. My heart raced with panic and fear. I pushed through the pain as my burning hand clutched the steering wheel firmly. The streets buzzed with workers returning home after a long day at the office.As soon as the green light lit up, I hit the gas without hesitation. I nearly hit someone who was about to cross the street and I noticed her spit on my car. Right away, I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. I nearly put her in a dangerous situation.This urgency made me speed up as much as I could. I realized I needed to make it there right away. When I got to school, I parked the car haphazardly and hopped out. I sprinted toward the building, heading straight for
Keith's POVI opened my eyes, and a jolt of pain surged through my head right away. The sort of pain that usually strikes you the morning after a night of heavy drinking. But I haven't been drunk in four months, so where is this pain coming from?I woke up and noticed my shirt resting on the windowsill. I quickly grabbed it and tossed it on. I'm just in my boxers and I don't know where my trousers are right now. Did I take it off? I can't recall if I changed just before I went to sleep. I honestly can't recall anything from last night.What time is it now?The sunlight pouring in through the window showed that it was bright noon outside. It's Sunday, so I'm taking the day off from the office. I stepped out of my bedroom to get a glass of water because my throat felt so parched. As I approached my kitchen I heard some noise coming from there. I walked in and saw a woman figure with her back to me."Selena?"Upon hearing me, she turned around and gave me a bright smile.She's got on my
Selena's POVI held back an eye roll as soon as I spotted Clara's name on Keith's phone. It's not just one missed call; it's three of them! She asked him three times to come to her for the sake of her daughter. Who did she think Keith was? Her daughter's nanny? Gosh!“No, Selena. I’m the one at fault here. I told Layla I’d be there to see her performance, but I couldn’t make it because I got caught up in a last-minute meeting with a client. I also didn’t manage to pick her up. Layla would feel upset and let down by me. I need to head over there immediately."I racked my brain instantly. I just couldn't let Keith go off anywhere! Especially to Clara's house.No one else understands the length of time I've been waiting a moment like this. We're having an amazing time, just the two of us.After a wonderful night sharing the same bed with him, I definitely noticed his hungry gaze as he took in my sexy body this morning.I'm not foolish. I know that Keith wants me to. If only he could forg
James' POVI shut my laptop right after the meeting wrapped up. I still had more work ahead of me, but I just couldn't concentrate on it. My mind was so scattered that I didn't even know what to do next. I suppose I need to reach out to Victor again to check on the results of the investigation he conducted regarding Clara.Yeah, I suppose I should. So I pulled out my phone and called him right away.Victor has been with me and my company for a decade, and I have complete trust in his skills. He said that he would share the results with me as soon as he finished his tasks. But this curiosity is driving me crazy, and I don't think I can keep it to myself any longer if I don't reach out to him now."Mr. Morgan, Good morning," He greeted me politely."Where's the result? Send it to me immediately, Victor. I need it right now!" I came off as really impatient, almost like a kid having a tantrum.What happened to me? You need to calm the fuck down, James."Oh, sure. I’ve wrapped up the inves
Clara's POVI scanned the other customers in the restaurant and then spotted him sitting at one of the tables. It's not hard to spot him at all. A tall figure and a strikingly handsome face reminiscent of a Greek statue, and how he carried himself made him always stand out among the crowd.Calming my heartbeat, I made my way to James' table. My steps are steady and assured. I know that I need to have a conversation with him, but I just can't get Diana's words out of my head since I chose to meet him here today. And how she cautioned me to be always cautious.“Are you sure he doesn’t have any other motives, ma'am? You know receiving help from someone like him seems a bit too good to be true. And what would make him want to help his ex-wife?" Diana asked just before I headed out to this restaurant.I was the one who asked for this meeting with James. To my surprise, he actually agreed with where I wanted to go. "I'll find out if I go see him and ask him straight up. How else would I kn
James' POV"Why does my mother want us to have lunch together?" I asked Zoe who was now assisting me in cutting the food before me.It's a gesture she hasn't made since we tied the knot, and now, out of the blue, she's done it. She sliced the appetizer and was just about to bring the spoon to my mouth when I stopped her. We were at a restaurant, and I didn't want to get any kind of intimate gesture from her.She seemed let down but chose not to argue. Zoe just set the spoon back down on the plate. She smiled as she replied, "We're a married couple, is that really strange?""Did you tell her what happened and that we're getting a divorce soon?" I inquired.She mentioned that she would take it upon herself to explain things to my mother, as I had already tried to share what happened, but my mother just didn't believe me. However, the way she continues to encourage Zoe and me to reconnect suggests that she might not be fully aware of everything, and Zoe hasn't shared the whole story wit
Clara's POVI wiped the sweat that had trickled down my temple and took a sip from my water bottle. My throat was incredibly dry. My entire body is sore, and it hit me how infrequently I really engage in physical activity. This is so embarrassing. I’m still in my twenties, but I feel like I’m already carrying the weight of an old lady doing a tough job.But as I looked around my restaurant kitchen and took in the progress we've made in transforming this chaos, I felt a deep sense of satisfaction and happiness. It wasn't instant, but little by little, we managed to fix it and even make it look much better."Excuse me, ma'am, what are your thoughts on the stove's current position? Should we move it or keep it as it was?" Diana approached me and pointed to the spot where the builders would be setting up a new cooking spot for the renovation.Even though the last place was nice and I used to enjoy it, I still feel a bit sense of trauma. My priority now is to make sure that the incident do
James' POVI shut my laptop right after the meeting wrapped up. I still had more work ahead of me, but I just couldn't concentrate on it. My mind was so scattered that I didn't even know what to do next. I suppose I need to reach out to Victor again to check on the results of the investigation he conducted regarding Clara.Yeah, I suppose I should. So I pulled out my phone and called him right away.Victor has been with me and my company for a decade, and I have complete trust in his skills. He said that he would share the results with me as soon as he finished his tasks. But this curiosity is driving me crazy, and I don't think I can keep it to myself any longer if I don't reach out to him now."Mr. Morgan, Good morning," He greeted me politely."Where's the result? Send it to me immediately, Victor. I need it right now!" I came off as really impatient, almost like a kid having a tantrum.What happened to me? You need to calm the fuck down, James."Oh, sure. I’ve wrapped up the inves
Selena's POVI held back an eye roll as soon as I spotted Clara's name on Keith's phone. It's not just one missed call; it's three of them! She asked him three times to come to her for the sake of her daughter. Who did she think Keith was? Her daughter's nanny? Gosh!“No, Selena. I’m the one at fault here. I told Layla I’d be there to see her performance, but I couldn’t make it because I got caught up in a last-minute meeting with a client. I also didn’t manage to pick her up. Layla would feel upset and let down by me. I need to head over there immediately."I racked my brain instantly. I just couldn't let Keith go off anywhere! Especially to Clara's house.No one else understands the length of time I've been waiting a moment like this. We're having an amazing time, just the two of us.After a wonderful night sharing the same bed with him, I definitely noticed his hungry gaze as he took in my sexy body this morning.I'm not foolish. I know that Keith wants me to. If only he could forg
Keith's POVI opened my eyes, and a jolt of pain surged through my head right away. The sort of pain that usually strikes you the morning after a night of heavy drinking. But I haven't been drunk in four months, so where is this pain coming from?I woke up and noticed my shirt resting on the windowsill. I quickly grabbed it and tossed it on. I'm just in my boxers and I don't know where my trousers are right now. Did I take it off? I can't recall if I changed just before I went to sleep. I honestly can't recall anything from last night.What time is it now?The sunlight pouring in through the window showed that it was bright noon outside. It's Sunday, so I'm taking the day off from the office. I stepped out of my bedroom to get a glass of water because my throat felt so parched. As I approached my kitchen I heard some noise coming from there. I walked in and saw a woman figure with her back to me."Selena?"Upon hearing me, she turned around and gave me a bright smile.She's got on my
Clara's POVI didn't even have a moment to respond to Miss Olivia because the next second, I rushed out of my apartment, headed downstairs, and jumped into my car to drive off. It was already nighttime. It was already dark outside. Of course, what else could you expect? It was nearly nighttime.My daughter still wasn't back home. My heart raced with panic and fear. I pushed through the pain as my burning hand clutched the steering wheel firmly. The streets buzzed with workers returning home after a long day at the office.As soon as the green light lit up, I hit the gas without hesitation. I nearly hit someone who was about to cross the street and I noticed her spit on my car. Right away, I felt a wave of guilt wash over me. I nearly put her in a dangerous situation.This urgency made me speed up as much as I could. I realized I needed to make it there right away. When I got to school, I parked the car haphazardly and hopped out. I sprinted toward the building, heading straight for
Clara's POVAs soon as I got to my restaurant, it was crowded with people. I noticed some of the last customers rushing out; I think Diana has informed them that we’re temporarily not accepting dine-in. As soon as I reached my car, my eyes caught a glimpse of black smoke rising into the blue sky, and my heart sank instantly.Without a second thought, I rushed straight to the source of the chaos: my kitchen. I pushed through the back door, even though I could see the firefighters working to extinguish the flames, and it was obvious they weren't allowing anyone else in at the moment. But my mind was so clouded with panic that I couldn't think clearly.I burst through in a panic, and a thick cloud of smoke hit me, stinging my eyes and searing my lungs. Suddenly, a hand pulled me out without warning."Ma'am please stay right here! They need to extinguish the flame first until everything is safe for us!"I knew it was Diana's voice. She was right, but I was too overwhelmed and anxious to r
James' POVI think Clara really took her daughter out of there after our encounter earlier. Because I haven't seen them anywhere though I've been searching for them for a while. Maybe if I had gone after her right away I wouldn't lose her track like this. I set my time to come to this place just to see her, but now she's gone.Why is that? The question keeps echoing in my mind. What makes her so anxious about me being close to her daughter? She treated me like I had a past of kidnapping and selling children, now viewing me as a danger to her kid.Her final words, when I brought up the father of her daughter who wasn't able to attend this event, lingered in my mind.Why is she bringing up our past relationship? About the way I treated her back then? Yeah, I used to be awful to her, and I regret it now. But why does it have to do with the absence of her daughter's father?I tried to figure out how old her daughter was and the year Clara pretended to die just to get away from me. If I'