I sighed after the champagne went down my throat. Then I nodded before saying, “Yeah, sure.”He stared at me for even longer then he said, “Are you sure? You look pale.”I forced a chuckle. “I just need to use the bathroom,” I replied, standing on my feet and fleeing away. Before I could disappear down the hallway, I glanced back at Chris and he looked confused, reaching for his phone.I went to the bathroom and then stared at myself in the mirror. My nerves. My stupid nerves. I had waterproof makeup on so I turned on the faucet and splashed some water on my face, trying to feel better.The cold water made me calm down a bit, but I still needed to get to Fallon. I thought about just sending her the picture of Chris’s phone screen that I had taken but changed my mind quickly.If she was able to put spyware on my phone so easily, I could not trust that the Kingstons could not do the same.I did not want that Kirby lady coming after me again. I never wanted to see her again in my life,
Chris’s POVI was sitting at the table, the food that we had ordered staring right back at me. I knew that I would not be able to finish all of this.And besides, I had lost my appetite.I didn’t think that Linda would have left, I didn’t think that she would have fallen for the little trap that I set up for her. I needed to know whether she had actually dropped this whole gold thing. But I guess she had not.And she proved it. She fell for the trap. I had intentionally left my phone on the table and pretended to get a stomach ache. It was all an act.In fact, I was not even in the bathroom, I was in the back room of the place, which was very nice. I had gotten someone to email my account just when I had left, so it seemed like it was not planned. Everything that I knew that she had read on tagg email was fake. It was all a lie, and it just proved to me that she was still stubborn and did not want to wash her hands from the affairs of my family.I gestured for the waitress who was
Chris’s POVIt was so bright. Why was it so bright? I never knew that those lights could get as bright as the sun.“Turn them off, turn them off, please “ I begged Linda.My eyes were starting to adjust to the intensity but still, I wanted them off.“Chris…” She groaned my name, and I smiled. She had a tone that showed that she cared about me. It showed that she was worried about me.And that made me feel like I was floating on clouds.I watched her as she grabbed the empty bottle from the marble floors, taking the glass also before walking away.I closed my eyes, enjoying the peace that I felt. It felt so good.Then footsteps caused me to open my eyes once again. It was her, it was my angel. Even with the frown that sat on her lips, she still looked stunning.She was a goddess, and it spiked my soul that I had slept with Meghan. It was something that I didn’t think I could ever forgive myself for.“You need to drink,” Linda said, handing me a bottle of water. That was true, I was re
Chris’s POVMy heart was pounding as I called. I paced the study slowly, the door closed because I wanted to be able to make this call alone.When the call finally connected, I waited with bated breath for what I was about to hear.There was silence, but not like it was all altogether quiet. It was like he had answered the phone and was doing other things because there were indeed background noises and voices.Then he spoke, his voice familiar, “Why the heck would you not answer my calls?”“How are you, Dad?”“You heard me, right? Why didn’t you answer my calls?”I swallowed, my head feeling heavier by the second. “I was asleep. I’m sorry.”“Asleep? You’re a CEO, you never sleep to the point where you can’t even answer calls at night. You have to be a light sleeper,” He started to lecture me.“What if it was one of your board members calling you last night for an emergency meeting? What if one of your buildings were on fire and they needed you?” He continued, and I listened, not darin
Chris’s POVI did not like the look on her face. It broke my heart but I could not disobey my father. This had to be done. I didn't even have the luxury of rescheduling, I had to be there. “Seriously, Chris?” She said, her tone low. “We have plans for the day, can’t work wait?”I wished. I wished that this was only about work. But it was deeper than that. It had to do with family. And if I trusted her enough, I would have told her. But the truth was that I did not. She was working with Fallon.I loved her, but I didn’t trust her. I wet my lips as I took a strand of her hair and placed it behind her left ear while staring into her beautiful eyes.“I know that we have plans. I know that today is not a work day, but I’m a CEO, Linda,” I replied, using what my father had said in his lecture when I was on the call with him not too long ago.She swallowed, hurt in her eyes. “I mean, it’s understandable,” she said in response. She forced a smile, I could tell.“When will you be back?” Sh
Chris’s POVAs I walked alongside my father through the grand halls of the villa, memories of my childhood flooded back. This place held a certain kind of nostalgia, a mix of fondness and resentment intertwined with every step that I took. The man led the way with a confident stride, his presence commanding attention wherever he went. Despite the warmth of his welcome, I could not shake the feeling that something was not right; that a shoe was going to drop. We entered a spacious study lined with bookshelves and adorned with opulent furnishings, I could not help but let my mind wander, trying to figure out why I was invited back into this place after all these years.My eyes fell on my mother, she was sitting on the vintage couch, her face holding a small smile. Maybe this was just me and my overthinking but I always felt like she did not like me. I felt like she only tolerated me. “Hello, Mom,” I said to her, and her smile widened, but weakly. “Chris, my love. I see that you are
Chris’s POVI furrowed my eyebrows as I tried to process what they were saying. I mean, yeah, I knew that they were talking about Linda. But how could she be a threat?I chuckled. “Okay, but how is she a threat? We have taken care of Fallon and her attempts to destroy our family for years. What more about my wife?”My father sighed, uncrossing his legs as he sat upright. “Listen, Chris. We are not here to argue with you.”“I’m not arguing,” I replied without missing a beat. “I’m trying to understand all of this.”“If you lose the attitude, you might be able to understand better though,” Hunter said, joining the conversation. I glared at him, chuckling dryly. I was not going to fall for his trap. He wanted to snap but I was not going to play his stupid little game.“I’m sorry if it seems that way,” I put aside my pride and spoke in a soft and respectful tone despite the storm raging in me. “It’s okay, honey,” My mom replied, rubbing my shoulder gently before withdrawing her hand. “W
Chris’s POVI thinned my lips and nodded, accepting what he had just said. Even if I did not, I did not have any real choice.“You should know that I only allowed us to use Kirby that night because I wanted to get Linda back, right?”“Yeah, but she also needed to know that if she tried to fight a battle that she was in no way equipped to fight, that she was going to lose; and bitterly at that,” My father explained, flashing me a small smile.Silence hung in the air for the next few seconds, the only sound was the one of my mother sipping the liquor from her glass as she watched the exchange.“Back to the question…” I broke the delicate silence. “What was Hunter talking about?” It should not have bothered me like how it was, but it did.I needed to know. “The thing about you not being a true Kingston?” Mom asked, her voice a bit raspy. I peeled my eyes off Dad and looked at her. Since he was not giving me answers, maybe she would. “Yes, is he right? And if he is, what does that even
Linda’s POVWe managed to get out of the burning room, and I swear I think I got a few burns but the adrenaline drowned the pain out. We were headed out and had no idea where the exit was due to how much smoke and fire was assaulting us from almost everywhere.The pinching pain in my belly was growing and as much as I tried to brush it off, it was getting harder to do with each step that I took.Suddenly, the roof caved in and fell to the ground causing us to be separated by angry flames. I was stuck on the other side and Chris and the others were away from me.Fear filled me and I took a few careful steps away from the raging fire. “Help!” I exclaimed.“Keep calm, Linda. We will find a way to get to you, but for now, I would recommend that you keep moving.” He pointed towards the ceiling.When I looked up, I saw that the fire was eating it up, it could fall at any second. “Okay!” I said loudly, so I could be heard above all the commotion. When I turned around to start moving, I was
Linda’s POVI had never been so scared in my life, the room held a tension that I could not describe. It felt like a nightmare, a real one.It felt like I was hallucinating all of this, but deep down, I knew that I was not. This was real, and it was something that I could not escape from. “Please, think about the baby,” I begged Mr. Kingston, tears flowing from my eyes and snot running down my nose.“Did you think of the baby before you and your friends decided to f*ici up my life?” He asked, dark humor dancing in his eyes.“Light them up,” he said, walking away. In seconds he was out of the room. Kirby flashed me a sad look before her features hardened again. She then walked out, the doctor guy following her.I sniffled and then sobbed out even more. I was beginning to smell gasoline, the smell was overwhelming. Sh*t, they were going to burn us up. My vision got blurred for a few seconds before I blinked the tears away, making it clear again.The door opened and I saw Kirby and th
Linda’s POVThe call went through but after a few rings, there was no answer. My heart was thumping in my chest and more tears threatened to spill from my eyes due to fear.“You better hope she answers, we are on a tight schedule,” Kirby warned me in a hard tone. I was praying for that too. “Call her again, maybe her phone is on Do Not Disturb,” I tried to find an explanation.“Hmm,” She mumbled in response before deciding to make the call again. This time, Fallon answers on the third ring.I let out a breath that I did not know I was holding. Kirby brought the phone close to me and put it on speakerphone. “This better be important, because I’m very busy right now,” Fallon said, it sounded like she was on a busy street because I could hear the sound of cars and people being people in the background. “It is,” I replied. “Fallon, I need your help; Chris and I have been kidnapped. The like went quiet for a few seconds and then she broke the silence. “Linda?” “Yes, Fallon, please…hur
Linda’s POVBeing bound was not a nice experience, the ropes were so tight that every time I would try to move, they would pinch my skin.But I had made my decision, I wanted to come out of here alive. I wanted my baby to come out of here alive, so I was going to do everything I was told to do no matter how messed up it would be.Kirby and the guy who I thought was a doctor soon walked out of the room, leaving me with the guy who was not too far from me.I knew it was a man because of his build but I could not tell who he was. He was wearing old and ragged clothes and seemed to be unconscious because his head was bent over in a weak way.“Are you okay?” I asked, attempting to see if he was awake even though I felt he was not. There was no reply. So I sighed and then glanced around the room, looking to see if I could find a way of escape, but it seemed like the only way to get out here was through the door.There were two windows in the room but both of them had iron bars that did not
Linda’s POVThe car soon came to a stop, it had been a long ride. “Take her inside,” Kirby commanded and the Doctor did as he was asked. He opened the door and got down before gesturing that I do the same. I did not want to be hurt and did not want my baby to be hurt either so I did as he told me. I got down from the car and glanced around. It was now dark but the lights from on the property were impressively bright. Acres of land stretched from both sides that I looked at, and a huge stood not too far from me. It looked like a castle. It was stunning but it had a dark energy that caused my heart to skip a beat. I already knew who was behind this. I mean, I had my suspicions at first but they had now been confirmed. The thought of Chris entered my mind and I felt a heaviness that I could not ignore. Why did they have me tell him that I was on a street that we were miles away from? Had it been a way to get him alone so they could harm him? Oh my gosh, I did not know what I would do
Chris’s POVKidnapped? The word rang in my ear over and over, and I could barely hear a thing after she had said that. The car behind mine honked loudly and I was pulled out of my trance. “Clink Street? You said you’re being held at Clink Street?” I needed to make sure that I had heard her right. “Yes…” Her voice broke before a shudder followed shortly after. Then the call dropped. I tried to call but there was no answer. So I tried again; again and again. And with the cars honking behind me as I was parked at the traffic light, blocking their way, I knew that I had to put it all aside for only a few seconds. My mind raced as I tried to make sense of what had just happened. Lind, my wife, was kidnapped. The thought was incomprehensible, surreal. But I could not afford to dwell on it. I had to act, I had to act fast. With a deep breath, I refocused on the present. The light that was was still green, so I finally drove and ignored the road rage that I was getting as I pulled to the
Linda’s POVMy heart skipped a beat, a cold fear gripping me as I realized something was terribly wrong. Panic surged within me, but I tried to keep my voice steady. “What do you mean, you lied?” I demanded, my voice trembling despite my efforts to remain calm. Dr. Adam’s smile faded, replaced by a chilling expression that sent shivers down my spine. “You, Linda,” He said softly, his ice blue eyes locking onto mine with unsettling intensity, “You’re not going to another room as you already can tell, you’re going to a little place called ‘Pay Back’.” I immediately jumped out of the wheelchair and tried to run for my life but I fell to the hard ground. We were in the parking place, basement level. “Help!” I screamed at the top of my lungs but it was like there was not even a soul there. As I hit the ground, pain shot through my body, but fear propelled me to my feet again. Adrenaline surged through my veins as I fought to escape, but Dr. Adam was quick to react. He grabbed my arm lik
Linda’s POVI could barely speak, the pain overwhelming me as I doubled over on the bathroom floor. Every fiber of my being screamed with agony, and I feared for the safety of my unborn child. I already knew what it was, what was causing the pain. This was not my first rodeo, it was not the first time that it had happened. Aunt Maze and William rushed into the room, their expressions filled with alarm as they saw me writhing in pain. “What’s going on?” Aunt Maze exclaimed, her voice tinged with worry. I struggled to find the words amidst the agony that consumed me. “It’s the bullet…it’s moving and must be hitting one of my organs,” I managed to gasp out, tears stinging my eyes as another wave of pain washed over me. Fallon’s eyes widened with realization. “We need to get her to the hospital, now,” She said urgently, her voice plastered with panic. With her support, I managed to rise to my feet, the pain still stabbing at my abdomen with each step. Aunt Maze and William sprang int
Linda’s POVMy heart skipped a beat at the revelation, the gravity of the situation sinking in. The Kingstons had vanished without a trace, the police had no way of knowing where they were. I wanted to ask how that was even possible. But I already knew the answer to that. Power, money, and influence. They had found a way to disappear because of who they were. “What do you mean disappeared?” Chris demanded, his voice smeared with urgency. “How could a prison transport vehicle just f*cking disappear?” Sergeant Thompson’s tone remained solemn. “We are still trying to ascertain the details, but it appears to have been a deliberate act. We suspect foul play.” “Of course, there was,” I heard Fallon say under her breath before letting out a string of curses. The car we were in was more of a van and we could all fit in easily. My mind raced with so many possibilities, each one more terrifying than the last. Had all of this been orchestrated from the start? Was he planning revenge right n