Linda’s POVMy heart sank at the mention of the bullet. It was a chilling reminder of the danger that still lurked within me, threatening not just my own life but also that of my unborn child. “Is…is there anything we can do about it?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, my mind racing with thoughts of surgeries and potential complications. The doctor’s expression softened as he placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “At this stage, surgery to remove the bullet could pose significant risks to both you and the baby,” He explained gently. “It’s lodged in a delicate area, and any attempt to remove it could potentially cause more harm than good.”I felt a knot form in my stomach at his words, a sense of helplessness washing over me. I had hoped for a solution, a way to rid myself of the looming threat of the bullet once and for all, but that was just a dead end. At least for now. I guess this gift from Mr. Kingston was not going anywhere no matter how hard I tried. The doctors
Chris’s POVIt was quiet, way too quiet for my liking. I mean, I was someone who liked it when it was quiet, but not this type of silence.I think what I should be saying was that I missed Linda. She was gone, she was already out of the country.I could get on a plane right now and go to her, falling to her knees to beg her to forgive me. But I think that I had gotten the fact in my head that I could not force someone to heal when I wanted them to do so.As much as I hated to say this, she needed time. She needed time away from me. I think what felt more awful was not just the fact that she had left but the fact that I did not know when she was going to be coming back.It could be next week, or it could be next year. Or it could even be after five years. The fact that I did not know scared me, it gave me anxiety.Walking down the stairs and heading to the living room, my footsteps echoed in the empty villa. I still had not told the workers to come back to work yet. I wanted to be alo
Chris’s POVMy jaw clenched, anger simmering beneath the surface as her words cut through me like a knife. How dare she come into my home and behave this way?“Watch your mouth, Fallon,” I warned, my voice low and dangerous. “You have no right to judge me or my actions.” I chuckled without humor. She scoffed, her expression hardened. “And you have no right to treat Linda the way you did. She did not deserve that.” I was ready to pounce on her with a comeback but I took a few seconds to process her words. “I know,” I replied in a soft tone, a heavy feeling sitting on my chest. “But I swear to you, it was a mistake, one that I am paying for, so don’t you worry.” I flashed a dull smile at her. Her expression softened and she sighed, taking a few steps to me. “I know, we all…we all do stupid things from time to time. We’re humans, we’re not perfect, so of course, we make mistakes.” I nodded, taking in her words. “Sure,” I replied in a monotone. “So that does not mean that when we mes
Chris’s POVEntering the cafe, I was immediately greeted by the familiar aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the soft hum of conversation. The atmosphere was cozy and inviting, a stark contrast to the chaos of my own thoughts. Spotting Aunt Maze sitting at a corner table, surrounded by notebooks and pens, I could not help but smile. Despite everything that had happened, seeing her brought a sense of calmness to me. Making my way over to her table, I greeted her with a warm hug, taking her by surprise. “Hey, Aunt Maze. Long time no see.” LolShe returned the hug, surprise plastered on her features, but happiness soon replaced it. “Chris, dear, it’s been too long. How have you been?” She asked, her eyes running over me. I took a seat opposite her, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. “I have been…” I did not know how to tell her that my life had been a mess. There was just so much to unpack. “...navigating through some rough waters, to say the least.” Her smile faltered slightly,
Chris’s POVAunt Maze’s gaze grew distant, lost in memories I could only imagine. “But I chose not to let his darkness consume me. I chose to carve out my own path, away from his shadow. It was not easy, Chris. Do you know what it’s like to denounce your own family’s name all because you hated what it was starting to represent?” I nodded. “I’m so sorry.” That was all I could say.She shook her head, some disappointment covering her features. “I remember asking you to join me to come here, to come to China. It was right after I had found out what your father had done to that poor girl’s family.”I swallowed hard, feeling ashamed. She was talking about Fallon. “Yeah.” My voice was small. “But I was young, what did I know?”“You were a teenager,” She replied, her tone hard. “But you were very much aware of what your father and his wife had been doing. But you were…” She sighed while shaking her head. “…you were just so hellbent on impressing him, earning his approval.”I twisted my mout
Chris’s POVI took in her words, this meant some good news, to be honest. This meant that she knew what I had come to find out about. This meant that she knew about my real family. I had already made peace with the fact that my father was never going to tell me anything about where I was really from. I nodded, understanding the gravity of her words. “I know. But I can’t keep living this lie, Aunt Maze. I can’t keep pretending to be someone I’m not, someone my father wants me to be.”It was much easier when I did not know that I was not a true Kingston, but now that I knew, I just needed to do something about it. She sighed, closing her notebook and setting aside her pen, her facial features weary yet resolute. “Very well. What is it that you want to know?” Wait, was she serious? Was she really going to tell me? I tried my best to hide my excitement and to keep a straight face. Taking a deep breath and steeling myself for what was to come, I tried to find the perfect question to ask
Chris’s POVAunt Maze’s admission left me speechless, a whirlwind of emotions swirling inside me. So it was Mr. Kingston who had made the decision to accept me into the family and not her? “I…I don’t know what to say,” I murmured, feeling some confusion and betrayal gnawing at my insides. I glanced at the coffee that sat on the table in front of me. I picked it up and took a sip in an attempt to stop the tornado of emotions that had awakened in me. She reached out, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Chris. I know it sounds awful. But you have to understand that I was looking out for us.”I set the cup of coffee down, it was bitter to the taste, but I did not mind, I needed something strong anyway. “Of course, I understand.” And yeah, I did, but that did not mean that I was not hurt. “As I was saying,” My aunt continued. “Our father had asked us to make the decision, I had said no and my brother said yes. But of course, I was the woman and he was the man, so his o
Chris’s POVMeghan’s request caught me off guard, a mixture of frustration and disbelief bubbling within me. After everything she had put me through, she had the audacity to ask me for money.“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered under my breath, struggling to contain my anger. “You expect me to just hand over money after what you have done?” There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before she spoke again, her voice tinged with desperation. “Chris, please. Look, I have nowhere else to turn. I need this money to take care of myself…and our unborn child.”Her words struck a chord deep within me and I sighed. Despite everything, she was still carrying my child, and I could not ignore that fact. “Fine,” I relented, begrudgingly. “I will try to transfer the money to you, but this is the last time I’m helping you out. You hear me?” But I knew that would be a lie, I was now forever linked to her through our unborn child, and I was always going to help her out from now on.
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