Isabella"Enough is enough," I whispered to myself immediately I zoomed off away from the lawyer's office. I was not going to take it easy on any of them. I had waited too long for this and since Zayde has done his worst, I have no choice but to strike. It was that easy. I had access to a lot of secrets that would destroy the woman he was running to. I smiled at myself, holding the steering tight. This was going to destroy Ariana.Zayde thought he could discard me like trash, toss me aside and erase me from his life with a single signature. But he was wrong. He was dead wrong.He wanted to ruin me, but he forgot one thing, I could ruin him first. And I would.I pulled out my phone, my fingers trembling with rage as I dialed the number I had memorized long ago.The call connected almost immediately and it was more than enough to soot my spirit. "It's time," I informed the person. "I need the rest of that document. Now.""You know where to meet me," I snapped before ending the call.
Isabella had ruined my life. She finally got what she wanted.I knew she hated me with everything in her, but doing this? Wasn't it too extreme?I stared at the suicide letter in front of me. I wrote down thoughts that filled more than half of the page, and my tears kept dropping, ruining the paper.I guessed it was time already for me to kill myself and forget about all my sorrows and worries."How could you do this to me?" I screamed my lungs out. My voice cracked as I took a quick look at the magazine across the room.The glossy pages fluttered before landing in a crumpled heap, and all I could see was the bold headline staring up at me."Ariana's Secret Love Child Exposed!"“Listen, Ariana. You don't have to do this. Don't even think of going to the river and drowning yourself. Think of your mother! Think of those that love you,” Gabriel said to me, but all of that was just bullshit to me.“I don't bloody care. No one loves me. Everyone pretends to, and the next thing they do is s
When Isabella gave me a hint of what she was going to do, I never realised that it was going to be something as cruel as this.Somehow, I was able to get to Ariana since she couldn't be seen in public. I didn't know how to face her, knowing fully well that she would be clothed with the same."Is it true, Ariana?" I demanded, my voice trembling. My Ipad was laid open on her kitchen counter and the headline was visible.Looking at it made things worse for me, my heart kept getting thorn.Ariana's eyes widened and her face turned white that one could barely recognize her.I was certain that she wasn't aware that this was the reason I came to see her."Zayde, I...""Is it true?" I repeated, my voice was louder this time. I kept my fists at my sides as I tried to control my sudden outburst.I wished she could see my heart. I wished she could see how torn I was inside.She took a deep breath, calming herself. I was going to give her all the time in the world to say something.“Yes, I have a
“They know our secrets, Ari sweetheart. I don't think this would work anymore,” my mum said, and the words slammed into me, stealing the breath from my lungs.I gripped the phone tighter, my fingers trembling as I pressed it against my ear.I was expecting her to come running to me with this news but still it still came as a shocker.I had been consoling myself that they were both safe from this mess I was in.“What?” I asked and I was already strangled by fear.“They will find us, Ariana. I have received so many threats in the past days,” my mother informed me. “It’s not safe here anymore. Not for me. Not for your daughter. I'm scared to death.”I pressed a hand to my forehead, closing my eyes as I began to get dizzy.My heart thudded greatly in my chest, each beat only reminded me of the little time we had left.“How… how did they find out where you both are?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.I sounded stupid already.It was the exposure and the scandal that blew out of p
ArianaI was still alone in my room and I knew I was already dying slowly. If no one came to my aid, I might rot in here. It was sad to think about it but what could I do? Clearly nothing!I had already shut down my company for the meantime and some of my staff had gone to other places to search for new jobs. No one even had faith that I would bounce back stronger. It was a rather sad thing to think about.Luckily for me, Gabriel called me that he was coming and we were both in a fortified house that protected us from the outside world. "Do you ever regret meeting me?" I asked him because I had been having that feeling for a long time. I don't think I had anyone around me who truly liked me. They were all around me because they had something to gain. Now, that the worse had happened to me and I was losing my feet. They are all no where to be found. To me, this words slipping out of my mouth was very necessary and I could do nothing to stop them. Gabriel sat away from me in the
Ariana"I can't believe I'm doing this. This was not part of the plan,” I thought aloud and I knew that I didn't have control over myself anymore. I knew quite well that Gabriel could hear everything I said and he was obviously judging me but I didn't mind anymore. I held my phone which I was scrolling through and Gabriel kept smiling at me. His white teeth could be visibly seen and he leaned into the chair lazily. Gabriel had been with me for weeks now and I was beginning to reconsider a lot of things. Maybe I made a mistake from the onset. Could I correct things now?Just looking at him brought a lot of memories and I began to join dots together to be able to make things better. But where was I going to start from? Was he going to forgive me for all that I did?"You say that like it’s a bad thing," he said, slightly disappointed and I gave him a pointed look. "It might be. You don't quite understand what's going on inside me.”“It doesn't quite matter, my sweet girl. At least
ArianaIf an angel told me that I would be outside my room after weeks of locking myself indoors, I would never believe it. Gabriel had succeeded in bringing me out of my house and I had no idea if I should be happy or sad about it. I was only clueless about how things would go. Especially now that we were going to an event that would be filled with the same people who judged me. “You are so insane.” I blurted out after letting out a breathless laugh as Gabriel pulled me through the crowd of journalists who were flashing cameras at me. My God! I don't think I would ever get used to something like this. I was so ashamed that I almost melted into the floor. “And you love it. I know you do,” He kept on reading me and his grip tightened around my wrist as he maneuvered us past a barricade of reporters who were doing everything possible to get me. “Relax, Ari. They won’t get near you. I'm here. Don't you trust me?”I wasn’t convinced by all that he said. I knew his intention was to ma
Zayde’s POVYou might not be aware but….I recently made a deal with Isabella after divorcing her. I could still remember the evil smirk she gave me after I agreed to her terms. She was still very much in love with me and promised not to inform my mother about our divorce. Although, I knew that it was only a matter of time that my mum knew that I was no longer with Isabella. The most annoying part, I get to make Ariana jealous. That was my own plan of making her pay for the lie she kept from me. “Fuck you, Ariana!” I kept cursing under my breath. Isabella and I were even now. We were getting what we wanted but for me, the countless dreams I had about Ariana didn't seem to stop. ***"I saw the way you were looking at her when she walked past us with Gabriel!" Isabella yelled at the top of her voice and I became confused. She was accusing me of looking at Ariana who I didn't know would bump into me.Wait! Was she trying to act like a jealous partner when she's not even my partner?
Gabriel“The mistake you two made was calling the cops on me!” I yelled at them, not scared of what was going on. I already had a lot of things in place. I was going to outsmart them and there is nothing they can do about it. What do they take me for? A criminal? Just because a girl who I was in love with made me mad?I sat back in my chair, watching the swarm of cops flood in with their guns drawn out. They were all barking orders like wild dogs but I couldn't blame them. They were doing their job. My wrists were already cuffed, but I barely felt the metal against my skin because I wasn’t worried. Not even a little.One of the officers, an ugly square-jawed, no-nonsense man stepped forward. "Gabriel, you are under arrest for…” he tried to speak but I laughed out loud. Idiot! Who said I wanted to listen to him? "Oh, spare me the script. We both know how this goes. You slap on the cuffs on me, drag me out, parade me in front of cameras like you had caught a criminal. But the rea
Zayde’s POVI was halfway home when I checked my phone again, expecting a reply from Ariana but I got nothing from her. She hadn’t responded to my last message, and she always texts back quickly even if she is angry at me. The least she could send was a rather short reply .Something about it made me feel very concerned. I got to thinking that something was off somewhere. Her silence for over an hour was something I could question. I frowned, pulling over to the side of the road. My fingers moved quickly, opening our shared location app.The location showed that she was at Gabriel's office but that was not what she told me earlier when we spoke briefly. She had mentioned that she would be at her office for a short while if it was too late for her to still be working. Then, why on earth was the location map showing that she was at Gabriel's office?Something was not adding up. A bad feeling curled in my gut even though I didn't want to think about it too much. None of this was
Ariana’s POV I had no idea how I got into this small dark room but I knew that Gabriel was also with me in here "You really thought you could outsmart me, didn’t you?" He asked and he sounded so dangerous. His voice made my skin crawl and I struggled against the ropes tied around my wrists. The ropes were too tight and I wish I could get them out by pushing too hard. My heart pounded as I scanned the room. There were no windows. There was also no easy way out. It was just me and him. "I swear to God, Gabriel, if you don’t untie me right now…" I blurted out. My eyes were almost falling out of my socket as I tried hard to push my body against the wall. "You will what? Tell me, what the hell are you going to do?” He asked with a smirk on his face. I wished he was as tense as I was but no, he looked too calm and was at ease, like he hadn’t just kidnapped me and shoved me into some dark, empty office space. "You’re insane. Heaven helps you if I don't get out of this place a
Ariana’s POV"You have no choice, Ariana. You either come back to me, or your mother pays the price."Gabriel’s words still kept echoing in my head like a death sentence and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I knew that he was not joking after he said such a thing to me.I had now convinced myself that Gabriel was a psycho who wasn't capable of loving. My hands trembled as I gripped my phone, rereading the message over and over. The evidence he claimed to have, the threat he had so casually thrown at me was all real and I could feel it.He couldn't possibly be joking about something like this. I stood in my apartment, resting my head on the wall. My mother had her faults, but she didn’t deserve to have her name dragged through the mud. And the child... my child.His damn child too…no, no. Gabriel was heartless. I pressed a hand against my stomach, and my tongue tasted so bitter. How had I let it come to this? How had I become so trapped here?I couldn’t go to Zayde. No, I ca
Gabriel’s POVI was guilty as charged. I was not just a man who was in love. I was a stalker and I made sure I monitored wherever Zayde and Ariana where going. It had become a daily routine for me. I had not seen myself taking my eyes off my phone. After the last encounter with the both of them, I was very humiliated. Zayde punched me so hard and I couldn't fight back. When I got home, I slapped myself countless times for allowing myself to get beaten up by Zayde in front of Ariana. Why couldn't I fight or defend myself? I thought I had taken taekwondo classes the other year. Yet, he keeps beating me anytime we fight. I think I might have forgotten why wee were rivals. Zayde seemed to be ahead of me in most areas and I didn't want that. You think you have won, Zayde? You have no idea what is coming. I'm preparing something that will come to you as a shocker. I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, rolling my jaw. The bastard got a good hit in, I had give him that. But
Zayde’s POVI knew I had to try one more time. You can't blame me for trying to get Ariana back to me. The truth is, I love her and I was going to do anything to get her back if only she let me. I had called Ariana out and was pleased to see because I had a lot of things to tell her. We were in a dark park with few people around. She stood in front of me, standing akimbo like she was shielding herself from me, from this moment.“I don't think we can keep doing this Zayde. We have to cut ties and stop seeing each other,” she informed me and she pressed her lips together.“That might not work quite well. If you want that, I need you to look me in the eyes and say it,” I said, almost pleading with her. She lifted her head and for a second, I saw everything that was hidden in her. The love, the pain and the confusion. But then she blinked, and it was all gone.Ariana once loved me. I didn't want it to be so. I want her to love. “Zayde, this isn’t fair,” she said to me and I couldn
Isabella pov“Are these people joking?” I asked myself after letting out a thunderous laughter. I leaned back in my chair, watching the chaos unfold on my screen. The video of Zayde and Gabriel’s fight had spread like wildfire. Social media was on fire with their clips, memes, and heated debates about who was in the wrong. Some defended Zayde, calling him a hero. Others insulted him, painting him as a violent and possessive monster who didn't Wang But one thing was clear. He had already shattered his reputation. It was clear that I had been the one saving his reputation all these while. “Very good. I hope he learns something new about this. He would know that the only way he could keep up with the public is when he was with me.”A slow smile crept onto my lips as I scrolled through the comments. I loved everything I was looking out because this was another type of revenge that I was getting. Now, everything was working in my favour. “Zayde totally lost control. Can’t believe
Ariana’s POVCall me stupid for all I care but, I didn't know when I called Zayde to come and save me from Gabriel's cruel hands. I was beginning to regret everything that I did simply because he was acting so caring. I made a mistake. I shouldn't have called him. Myself and Zayde had hurt each other for a long time, yet he still came to help me when I needed him. My conscience won't let me take it all in so I had a quick switch that threw him off balance. "You should have let me handle it!" I yelled at him, pushing him off my body. My voice was raw, shaking, but I didn’t care. I shoved Zayde’s chest, hard but he barely moved and his dark eyes couldn't leave my body. “What do you mean? You called me on the phone and you kept crying because you couldn't handle it and you are in danger. Why are you now suddenly saying this?” He asked and he wiped the blood off his knuckles. His breathing kept coming in heavy but I had already made up my mind not to allow him close to me. He sud
Zayde’s POV"Zayde... please. Help me. Please.”I was enjoying my peace when Ariana’s voice shook through the phone. I had not expected her to call since we were both not on good terms but from her voice, I could tell that she was in trouble and I needed to be there to help her. I know fear when it comes to me. I had seen it in others. I had felt it in myself more times than I cared to admit. But hearing it in her voice? That was different. That was a kind of fear that set my blood on fire."Ariana? What happened? Talk to me now! I swear, I'm listening to you and I'm going to come and save you," I said to her and my grip tightened around my phone. My body was already moving and I grabbed my car keys. "I…it's…Gabriel…"she tried to speak but her breath wasn't letting her to. I heard a sharp sound in the background, something crashing into something and then her voice dropped to a whisper. "Please, just come. Now.”I didn’t need to hear more. I was already out the door.My mind rac