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?
Isabella"Look at you! You are nothing but a failure. How did I ever fall in love with a dummy like you?” I kept thanking Zayde as I trailed behind him. I was going to make sure I make his life hell. That's what I do anyway. I make people's lives miserable and he was not going to be an exception. What a fool! I laughed within myself when I recalled the plans I had lined up. I was yet to see a person who was smarter than me. None of them were! From Ariana to Zayde to Gabriel to anyone involved in this mess. They were all foolish! “I'm talking to you, bastard!” I kept insulting him, forgetting that he was once the person I loved. Oops! I still loved him but he didn't deserve me and I was no longer going to beg him. My expensive heels clicked against the polished floor and my fingers cracked as I watched him in that stiff posture of his. He had been ignoring me since the moment we left the movie hall and I was not going to leave just like that.He was going to respond to me no mat
Zayde "You think you have me cornered, Isabella? Oh, I see. You want me to plead with you so that you would feed your ego. Have you forgotten that I'm a man and I would do no such thing?” I asked Isabella and she never saw that coming. Oh dear! The look on her face was so funny that it made my heart glad. I wish I could see more of this. I forced a smirk to appear on my face as I moved my head. I kept staring at the woman in front of me. I hated one thing about her. She was too confident in her abilities. That was why she thought she could harm someone and go scout free but I was not going to allow that to happen with me. I would make sure that the wicked smirk on her lips and the amusement in her eyes disappear. She thought she had won but I was only getting started with this. I hated her. I hated that she had the upper hand but more than anything, I hated that she wasn’t entirely wrong. "Oh, but I know I do," she finally said, clapping her hand together and making me mo
ArianaI shouldn’t feel bad for him. That was exactly what I thought to myself but, I found myself feeling bad over and over again. Now, I was beginning to feel like a villain after sending that kind of message to him. How would he feel?The thought ran through my head over and over, but the sick feeling in my stomach wouldn’t go away.I was fucked!Zayde had stood on that stage, frozen and humiliated. He was completely lost in front of hundreds of people. And the worst part? I saw the exact moment he lost his confidence. That was the second his gaze locked onto Gabriel and me when our lips were pressed together in a kiss neither of us should have shared at that point in time. I clenched my fists, hating myself for caring too much for a man who was meant to be in hell burning. This wasn’t my problem anymore. Zayde and I had a past, but that was all it was…a past. It should remain so. That was what I thought to myself and yet, seeing him like that, so completely shattered, did s
Gabriel’s POVI could bet a million dollars that Ariana was mine. She had always been mine but now, I was beginning to doubt certain things. I had no idea what was going on anymore. That thought burned in my mind as I watched Ariana, the woman I had loved for years, slip further into the grasp of a man who didn’t deserve her.Zayde.I hated that name. I hated the way he looked at her. I hated the history they shared and both had together. Most of all, I hated that even after everything, she still felt a certain way towards him. Ariana wasn’t as cold to him as she wanted to be.I saw it and that only made me more determined.Right now, Ariana was standing by the balcony of my penthouse. She looked so lost in thoughts and all that hit me was that she was thinking about him. I just concluded even though I could read her mind. I stepped closer, pressing my hands against the railing beside hers, careful not to touch her."You have been quiet all night. What's going on with you? Remem
Isabella’s POV Men are so predictable. Even the smartest ones think they have control over everything. Sometimes, I'm amazed at how smart I was. It makes me feel so good and I usually feel that I don't give myself much credit. Can't you see? The ideas, the plans! Everything. It all comes from me. I sipped my wine, watching the scene unfold like a perfectly scripted drama. It was just exactly how I had planned it. Gabriel was trying to follow Ariana around and she kept yelling at him. That immediately got my attention and I tried to find out why she was behaving that way towards him. I thought she loved him. I thought she had sworn to be with him instead of Zayde who was crazy about her. So why were they avoiding causing a scene? I couldn't tell yet and I had to watch them with keen interest. My eyes darted to Zayde who was somewhere close by. oh, Zayde looked ready to rip someone apart. This was good. I guess I had to grab popcorn and watch them. The tension could b
Zayde’s POVAriana had since adjusted to the weird stares from people and she didn't seem to care. Meetings? You will find her there but with Gabriel. Conferences? She was also there. Events? She was there too. And the worst part was that she never came alone. I was beginning to think that Gabriel was the one trying to protect her from the ugly murmurs of people. After this particular conference that was held in a private estate, I sent my personal assistant to meet with Ariana. I told her to plead with Ariana to meet with me. At first, I was very sure she would decline my request and I was shaking where I was seated. I really hope no one saw me shaking vehemently. I couldn't control myself any longer. I bit my lips for a long time as I waited for her to come. After some minutes, she walked towards me with my personal assistant trailing beside me. I signalled my personal assistant to leave so that I could talk to her personally. “Uhm…Miss Ariana. It's been a long time since we
Ariana’s POVAs if what happened when Zayde was there, wasn't enough. Gabriel seemed not to take my words for it. Immediately I got home that day, u switched off my phone and booked a spa session to cool off my head. It was a very terrible thing to be stuck between two men who were fighting for you. Now, I didn't want that in my life. I wanted to be free from this and they were not making things easy for me. I didn't mention that Zayde's mother called me, threatening me with everything she could threaten me with. Just because she found out I had a child for Gabriel. I saw no reason for her anger because they all treated me badly. Why then was she projecting her anger on me? Out of anger, I yelled at her not to call me again and that was the first time I was standing up to her like that. Now, all these were coming back to my memory because I was seated in this important conference where well known media were fully represented. I had been attending a lot of functions lately simp
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
Ariana’s POV“I never thought it would come to this. I thought I had everything under control,” that was what boomed in my head, distracting me from everything. I kept staring at the anonymous message on my phone screen. It was strange to look at and the more I looked at it, the more fear settled within me. Now, I had believed that everything I had now was crumbling around me. The message had come out of nowhere, and there was no way to trace the source. But it hit me so hard in the right place. "Gabriel isn’t who you think he is. His love for you is all part of a game. He doesn’t even care about you the way you think he does. He’s just using you like he always uses everyone else. Ask yourself why you are with him when you know how he really is.”I read it over and over, hoping for some kind of sense to emerge, something that would convince me to dismiss it as a lie.But the more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling in my gut that something was not ri
Isabella’s POVI was able to make sure that Zayde was still very much afraid of me and it was. It was quite easy. Everything’s going exactly as planned.I leaned back against the chair, the cold surface of the phone in my hand, feeling a wicked satisfaction wash over me. The video I wanted to use was out now. I had sent it to the media, knowing exactly how it would spread like wildfire, destroying Zayde’s reputation further. I didn't give a damn about anything whatsoever. I was going to take him down. That was what mattered to me. He thought he could escape the consequences, but no one ever escapes me.Not Zayde, not Gabriel, and certainly not Ariana.The video had been recorded months ago, when Zayde and I were... well, less than friendly. The moment I saw it, I knew it had the potential to bring him down completely so I had already kept it with me ever since. Zayde had always been careful about his image, always playing the role of the untouchable, perfect CEO. But that was
Zayde’s POVIf you’re going to take down a man like Gabriel, you don’t just attack. You make sure you think properly before attacking.That was the exact thing I thought about when I leaned back in my chair. My fingers tapped against the polished desk. I had paid an ex-reporter to get me the news that I needed. "You always had a flair for being so dramatic, Zayde," he said, scribbling something on a piece of paper. "But I like it. It's for the good.”I didn’t respond to that yet. Was that necessary?My mind is running in a hundred different directions. Gabriel had made his move. He thought he could publicly claim Ariana like she was some prize he won in a game neither of us agreed to play.He was wrong.I was about to make sure of that.I reached into the folder beside me and slid a document across the table. "I want to teach Gabriel a lesson. He has been getting on my nerves lately and I'm trying to find out the area he fucked up. If possible, I want him to be kidnapped,” I infor