ROCHELLE Thank me in bed!The next day, I woke up earlier than usual, my mind buzzing as I remembered the job I was about to face, the same job that had eluded me just a day before. Today, I was determined to get it, no matter the queue. As I rolled out of bed, I pushed aside the lingering doubts that had haunted me since I had learned I would be heading back to the same company that had not attended to me. I stood in front of the mirror, running my fingers through my messy hair. I had to look polished and confident. After splashing some water on my face, I rummaged through my closet, finally settling on a simple yet elegant blouse and a pair of tailored trousers. Once I was dressed, I made my way to the kitchen, hoping to start the day with something more than just a quick cereal.Cooking was something I hadn’t really done since I moved into Aries’ and Adrien’s house. They had mostly taken care of meals during my stay, relying heavily on quick
ROCHELLE Too good to be……….Walking through the lobby, I felt a sense of determination wash over me. I approached the receptionist, forcing myself to keep my cool. “Hello, my name is Rochelle. I came in for an interview yesterday but wasn’t attended to,” I explained.The receptionist looked back at me, her face impassive. “I’m sorry, but there are no more vacancies. Every position was filled yesterday,” she said flatly.My heart sank into my stomach, frustration bubbling to the surface. “But I was told there were still openings!” I argued, but she simply shook her head.“No, I’m afraid not. I’m very sorry,” she stated, turning her
GINA I just had to…..I could tell that Fred was really sorry when he asked me to forgive him. His eyes were earnest, and he spoke with a softness that made my heart ache. But I still needed proof; I wanted to be sure he was not just sorry because he missed the luxuries I gave him, both in bed and out of it.It wasn't easy to forget that he had cheated on me with his ex-girlfriend's best friend. That betrayal still stung, like a fresh wound that refused to heal. Sure, he had caught me first, but he should never have thought of paying me back like that.In moments when I looked at him, I couldn't shake the feeling that beneath his apologies lay a desire to maintain his comfortable life. He grew up too sheltered, and I worried I had become just another luxury that he was willing to lose. The thoughts made my stomach churn, pushing me to make a drastic decision.I reached out to my best friend, Ashley, hoping she could help me put Fred to the tes
GINA He broke my walls…The next morning, I packed my bags, feeling a mixture of anticipation and anxiety. I was heading off to Minnesota, ready to put my plan into action. Just before I left, I called Ashley. “Ashley, I’m about to board my flight, but I need to know if you're ready to go through with the plan”“Not that I have a choice,” she said lightly.“I'm counting on you,” I reminded her.A few days later, I called her again.“What's the latest, Ashley?,” I asked, desperate for some answer.“I told you, I really think
ROCHELLE The same Amber!I was trying to prepare a report for Mr. Ben's meeting with the new partners when he called. My desk was strewn with papers, and my mind was racing with thoughts about the details I needed to include. The new partners were key players in our industry, and this was a crucial moment for the company.“Rochelle?” Ben’s voice came through the phone, calm but firm. “I need you in my office now.”“Sure, Mr. Rothwell. I’ll be right there,” I replied, instantly setting aside my work. I gathered my notepad and a few important documents that I thought he might need. There was a flutter of nerves in my stomach that I couldn’t place.As I walked down the hallway toward his office, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off. Typically, Ben wasn’t the type to mix work with personal matters. He was always professional, keeping a clear boundary between us.When I walked into his office, I found him standing by the mini bar, a bottle of red win
GINA Something is off!I had noticed a change in Ashley especially towards Fred. At first, it was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but once I began paying attention, the signs were unmistakable. Ashley, or Ash as I fondly called her, had always been a vivacious and outspoken part of my life. She was the kind of person who could walk into a room and instantly light it up with her energy. So when I returned from my business trip to Minnesota and told her I was making up with Fred, her reaction was... odd.She had been seated on the plush white couch in my living room, sipping on her favorite iced latte, when I broke the news. “Ash, guess what? Fred and I are getting back together,” I announced, unable to keep the excitement from my voice. Her eyebrows shot up so high that for a moment, I thought they might disappear into her hairline.“What?” she exclaimed, the latte momentarily forgotten in her hand. “You’re getting back with Fred? After everything that happened?”“Yes,” I
GINA Driving into darknessI was looking over some files in my office, the quiet hum of the air conditioning mingling with my thoughts. My desk was strewn with documents, proposals for the upcoming quarter, and reports that needed my immediate attention. For a moment, the chaos of corporate life felt manageable as I focused on the numbers and projections. Everything felt routine until the door creaked open, and in walked Fred.“Hey,” he just said.Something wasn’t right. He looked like he was about to give up the ghost. His face was pale, and he wore an expression that screamed discomfort. It caught me off guard. Just that morning, we had left for work together, both of us full of energy. We laughed and joked during the drive, our favorite music playing softly in the background, the kind
GINA Love has left me heartbroken!My heart raced as I picked up the telecom and dialed my secretary's number. “Viola, please come to my office at once,” I instructed, my tone leaving no room for debate.When she arrived, I wasted no time. “What other meetings do I have scheduled for the rest of the day?” I asked, trying to maintain a calm demeanor.She looked confused, flipping through her notes. “Well, you have the brainstorming session with the marketing team, the budget review with finance, and then a dinner meeting with potential investors.”“Cancel all of them,” I ordered, my voice rising unexpectedly.Her eyes widened in shock. “But, ma'am, those meetings are extremely important! We could lose important partners because…”“Cancel or consider yourself sacked!” I nearly yelled, cutting her off. The urgency of the situation pushed my impatience over the edge. The look on her face was a mix of confusion and concern, but I didn’t care.“I’m leaving and won’t return until t
ROCHELLENo better way than this!Being back in Aries' and Adrien’s arms felt surreal. I had dreamed of this moment for so long, yet now that it was real, I didn’t know how to process it. My heart felt full, but my body was still weak from everything I had endured. The constant care and attention they gave me were overwhelming in the best way possible. It was as though they were trying to make up for every second of the time we had lost, every ounce of pain they had caused me in the past.Adrien sat beside me on the massive couch in their living room, fluffing pillows and tucking blankets
ARIES We fucking did it!The cold night air bit at my skin as Adrien and I crouched behind the black SUVs parked in the shadows outside the warehouse. The place was surrounded by her guards, all heavily armed, their faces masked with the determination of people who had pledged loyalty to someone as dangerous as Delight. My fingers tightened around the grip of my pistol as I looked at Adrien. His jaw was set, his eyes darker than I had ever seen them. He nodded at me, his silent signal. We were ready.The police had insisted on being part of this raid, but I didn’t trust anyone else to bring Rochelle home. Not after everything that had happened. Delight had taken too much from us already—her betrayal, her lies, her madness. This was personal.“Move in!” one of the officers barked out instructions to his colleagues, and the police stormed the front.“I'm coming with you,” Prince Herold said.“No way!,” I said.“Why?,” he asked.“We can't risk you going in there with
ADRIEN A tip off!The chaos that surrounded Prince Herold’s palace was suffocating. Broken furniture, shattered glass, and bloodstains painted a gruesome picture of the attack from the night before. The air reeked of smoke and sweat, and the sound of paramedics treating the wounded guards mingled with the murmurs of the police officers conducting their investigation.Everything was messed up, really!Aries stood to my left, his arms crossed, his expression a mask of fury barely contained. Herold paced back and forth, his usually regal demeanor now replaced with restless energy. He was mumbling under his breath, blaming himself for what had happened.“I should have saved her! I have let her down,” he kept on saying.I couldn’t argue with him. If we were being honest, we all felt responsible…guilty… almost like we had committed the crime.“Damn it, Adrien,” Aries muttered, his voice low but tight with anger. “How the hell did we let this happen? We had her, bu
DELIGHT I'm always steps ahead!The glass of wine in my hand trembled as rage coursed through me. They had done it again—Aries and Adrien. The brothers thought they were untouchable, didn’t they? Thought they could storm into my world, take Robert, and walk away like they owned the place. The audacity!I slammed the glass onto the table, the crimson liquid sloshing over the rim. My men flinched but said nothing. They knew better than to speak when I was like this. I paced the room, my heels clicking against the marble floor, my mind racing with possibilities.“They think they’ve won,” I said, my voice low and venomous. “But they underestimated me the last time.”One of my men, Marcus, stepped forward cautiously. “What’s the plan, boss?”I smirked, my anger shifting into something darker. “We’re going to hit them where it hurts. Rochelle must pay with her life.”The name tasted bitter on my tongue. Aries and Adrien might be brilliant strategists, but their Achilles’ heel was
ARIES A step ahead…The room was dark except for the faint glow of Adrien’s laptop screen. He was hunched over it, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he brought up satellite images of the city. The tension in the air was thick, heavier than I had ever felt before. We had dealt with a lot of dangerous situations over the years, but this one was personal. Delight had crossed the line by kidnapping Robert.I leaned against the wall, arms crossed, trying to keep my thoughts in order. “You sure you’ve got the right location?” I asked, breaking the silence.Adrien glanced up at me, his eyes cold and calculating. “Positive. The signal from his watch showed up at this abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. She’s using it as her base.”I nodded, pacing the room. “She’s getting bolder. She must know we’d come for him.”“That’s what she’s counting on,” Adrien said. “But we’re not walking into this blind. I’ve already mapped out the weak points in their security. We’
ROCHELLE She threatened to kill him!I stood frozen, my phone trembling in my hand. The moment Delight’s voice cut through the silence, everything around me blurred.“I have your father,” she had said, her tone dripping with malice. “If you ever want to see him alive, you’ll do exactly as I say.”Her words echoed in my mind long after the call ended. My heart pounded in my chest, and my breath came in short, panicked gasps. How had it come to this? My father, an innocent man with no connection to my tangled past, was now a pawn in Delight’s twisted game.I turned to Herold, my mind racing. “She has my father,” I said, my voice cracking. “We need to do something.”Herold’s calm exterior faltered for a moment, his brows knitting together. “What does she want?” he asked, his voice steady but laced with concern.“She didn’t say,” I replied, pacing the room. “She just… she just wanted me to know that she has him. Oh God, Herold, what if she hurts him?”“Calm down,” he said firmly
DELIGHT Playing the death game my way!The party had become a nightmare I barely escaped.I had seen her. Rochelle. The corner of her lips curled in a triumphant smirk as she leaned toward one of the guards obviously attached to her. My heart raced as I watched her whisper something into his ear.The guard’s expression darkened, and I saw him gesture subtly to a group of men stationed near the exit. My breath hitched. They were coming for me, I knew it.I knew I needed to do something, else I'd be the one begging to have her life spared.I couldn’t afford to panic. Not here, not now. Years of being on edge had taught me to think fast. As the guards started moving in my direction, I casually slipped behind a group of chatting guests. I smiled politely, pretending to laugh at a joke I didn’t hear, before slipping through a side door that led to the kitchen.Inside, I found the catering staff busy with trays of different delicacies.“You need something, ma'am?,” one of them asked
ARIES The devil was our housemate!The air in the study felt suffocating, even though the windows were cracked open to let in the cool evening breeze. Adrien paced the room, his polished shoes clicking against the hardwood floor. I sat on the edge of my desk, my arms crossed, trying to keep my temper in check.The party was over. Everyone had left, but Rochelle’s face, her voice, her very presence, was still vivid in my mind. She wasn’t just a memory anymore. She was here, alive, but hunted.We couldn’t let whoever tried to kill her succeed a second time.She had refused to tell us who it was… Or maybe she didn't have a clue who. That made our task even more complicated than it already was.Adrien stopped pacing and looked at me. “We need to start somewhere, Aries. But this isn’t just about finding the truth—it’s about protecting Rochelle. She’s already been through enough.”I nodded, my jaw tight. “Agreed. But finding the truth is the only way we can protect her. Whoever did th
ROCHELLE Finally, the truth!The more I looked at her, the more convinced I was that she was the one. It wasn’t just a resemblance. It was her. Rochelle. The woman we’d loved and lost, the woman we had mourned, the woman we’d failed to save. Yet here she was, standing next to Prince Herold as if the last three years had been nothing but a cruel dream.Beside me, Aries went rigid. His glass of whiskey trembled in his hand before he set it down on the bar with a sharp clink. “Adrien,” he whispered, his voice taut with disbelief, “tell me I’m not seeing things.”“You’re not,” I muttered, my eyes glued to her. Rochelle. Alive. Breathing. Laughing softly at something Herold said. The sight of her felt like a punch to the gut and a balm to my soul, all at once.Delight’s honeyed voice interrupted my thoughts. “Gentlemen,” she purred, sidling up to us. “You’re staring. Quite rude, don’t you think?” Her tone was light, but her eyes glinted with suspicion.Aries barely spared h