•AUTHOR’S POV•(FIVE YEARS AGO)“Come on, love, get up.”"No, mom, I’m not fully awake yet.”"No, love, it’s time; we’re running late,” the woman insisted. She knew her daughter was not a morning person—she hated mornings.“Mom, please.” She didn’t want to get up; she stayed up watching law shows, making it worse for her."Okay, five minutes okay, I’ll be back now,” she said, slightly pinching her daughter's cheeks. She really loved her daughter. She was everything and the reason she fell in love with her husband. This girl has brought so much happiness into their lives; why wouldn’t they cherish her?After a few minutes, the girl finally managed to get up and rub sleep off her eyes. She headed to the shower and started getting ready.When she was done, after making sure all her needs were in her bag, she headed to the dining room, where she met her parents, who were seated beside each other. She caught them kissing."Okay, I didn’t see anything,” she pretended to cover her eyes. Her
•AUTHOR’S POV•~FIVE YEARS AGO~"Doctor, she’s stable now,” the nurse informed the doctor who was closing up her wound.They needed to save her; their lives depended on it as the man threatened them. If they lose her, they will also lose their lives. He was standing by the door, watching them work. The doctors' hearts returned to their right places when the nurse informed them that she was stable now.“Take her to the recovery room; she seems to be waking up,” the doctor instructed after he made sure all her wounds were stitched and treated.“She lost a lot of blood; let’s take her to the recovery room and give her two liters. I want her breathing monitored, movements, and her first words,” the doctor instructed the nurse, who then pulled the stretcher and led her away.“Did you inform her family?” The doctor turned to ask the man, who seemed to be lost in his thoughts.“Yes, they will be here soon, and when they get here, tell them the police brought her here.”“But sir, it’s against
•PRESENT•~CLINTON~I woke up earlier as usual; I needed to sort this out as soon as possible. My business was going down, and I didn't like to fail. I came here in hopes of opening a club while managing one of my companies. Jardin was my trusted man who was now managing my businesses over here, but things haven’t been going well lately. Almost all planes with goods crashed, failing to deliver my clients goods, which forced them to change suppliers. I deal with transportation, exporting and importing drugs, and carrying important information that could bring down ministers and many important figures for my clients but seems to be going south these days. I couldn’t be here, as now I had a family that needed my full attention.My aircraft technician seemed to be working for my competitor now as planes kept crashing and many of my pilots were seriously injured—it was clear he wasn’t fixing them any more and might purposely install faults in them.I was in the middle of dealing with hi
~CLINTON~My mind was on my wife; her picture kept playing in my head. What if that bastard touches her? He better not dare because I’ll have his heart fed to my lions.“Boss!” My assistant screamed in fear, and I brought my mind back to reality. That's when I realised we were a thousand meters from the land and now in the middle of clouds.I couldn’t say anything; my voice was completely gone. Was I going to lose my wife and children just like this? We haven’t had any time; I planned a lot for us. I blinked away tears, and surprisingly, we were in the clear now.I played with buttons and realised we were landing."Boss, we’re… we’re landing?” He sounded surprised.I just concentrated on getting on ground, and as soon as we were on ground, I jumped off the jet. We were at the family aircraft, as all planes and cars had the family name on them, {THE SMITHS}.“Sir!” My assistant called my name, but I ignored him as I ran past staff members who were greeting me.“I need the car now!” I
~CLINTON~“Don’t you dare fucking mention my sister's name ever again,” he was shaking out of anger.My heart went back to its place when I realised that he actually shot on the ceiling and not my son.“We can solve this without involving my wife and son.”“How can we not involve them when I’m here for my sister? You started this, and I’m just helping you end it,” he said, meaning it as this time he was roughly caressing Journey’s cheeks. “Or maybe I should take him, yes, as a replacement for what my sister had lost. He looks like you, so it will work since she’s obsessed with you.” "No, please don't; I am pleading with you right now.”“I was also pleading with you; this is exactly what I felt. I begged and begged, but you threw me out and even dared to ask me what I was going to do. You thought I had no power, but I guess I proved you wrong. You are the one begging now.” An evil smile played on his lips.“And you think getting rid of me will bring back your sister's senses?” I asked
~FIVE YEARS AGO~•CLINTON•“I want to tell him, but I can't. He will end up hating me for keeping it from him.”“He will understand; he is a grown man now; I think he deserves to know.”I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but hearing that made me stand by the door to have a clear understanding. What were my parents talking about?“I don’t know; I just feel like it’s best we leave it that way,” my mother said while my father opposed.“We’re deceiving him, but let’s do whatever you want,” he said. I honestly wanted to know more because I’m their only son and could only be talking about me.“He will forever remain our son; we need to do our part and tell him the truth.” I barged in as soon as my father confirmed that it was me and they were hiding something.“What truth? What are you hiding from me?”“Clinton, you… you’re here?” My mother tried to sound normal, but my father looked at her with pleading eyes.“It’s best he knows love; trust me,” he said and turned to me. “Don’t be harsh on her; s
~FIVE YEARS AGO~•CLINTON•"Yes, boss, they are not her birth parents; she was adopted.”“Good, where are her birth parents? We need to make a way for them to meet,” I suggested.“They are dead; they had a mafia problem and gave their daughters up for adoption before they were killed.”“Their daughters? Does she have a sister?”"Yes, but we can’t find anything about her; the family who adopted her is either poor or wealthy.”"Alright, no problem; are you sure the girl has recovered?” That was my only worry; although the doctors confirmed she had fully recovered, I relied on my man’s information.“Yes, she’s back in her house as we speak; they bought the accident cover up; even though she doesn’t remember what really happened, she is bound to believe it soon,” he confirmed, which put my spirit in relief; at least now I knew she was okay. I was receiving another call when I opened my girlfriend's apartment. I ended the call with him and picked up the incoming call."Mom."“I saw the new
~ONE YEAR AGO~•CLINTON•“You cannot just move; what about us?”“Sophia I told you I need to; it’s not like we have something going on apart from our daughter.”“I know, and that’s my main concern; Kiara is so attached to you, this won’t be easy for her. Just come back, please,” she begged."No, I can't; I have a business to run, and as for my daughter, I will give her my full attention; I’ll make sure she spends her weekends with me; I just can’t let her stay here with me as it might risk her life,” I explained to her, but she didn’t seem to listen.“And I won’t let you take my daughter from me; it’s either you come back to us or forget about Kiara.”“You know you’re putting me in a tricky position; I can’t leave here.”“Then forget about your daughter,” she said and ended the call.I called her back but she didn’t pick up; later it went to voice message. Frustrated, I walked out of my apartment and headed to the bar. I needed a drink to cool me down.“Jardin, let’s meet at the club.”
I gently squeezed her hands and asked, “What did she say?”“Nothing, she only apologized and told me she's going to seek help,” she said. Even though she tried to hide her pain, I could still tell she was hurting for her—Sophia was her mother after all."Okay, that's good. What did you tell her?”“Nothing, I ended the call in her ear.”“Kiki…”"No, Mom, Sophia is an evil person, she doesn't deserve anyone's forgiveness.”“True, what Sophia did was bad.”“Not bad, separating a mother and child is unforgivable, talk of the pain Layla went through, no, I can't forgive her.”“I understand, I'm not saying what she did was right, no, Sophia caused not only Layla but all of us pain. What I'm saying is that everyone deserves a second chance, especially if they are willing to accept and work on their mistake,” I explained, and she nodded. “You might not be ready by now, but I'm sure one day you will.”“But…”“She will always be the woman who gave birth to you, you will forgive her someday,” I
~JESSICA~I looked around and saw that the whole family was there even Jade who was holding his baby.“Jessica, come here,” Mrs. Smith said, taking me in her arms. I was confused. The last time we were together, she was not pleased with me, she blamed me for Clinton’s conditoin—when Accardo shot him, she even threatened to force him to divorce me if it weren't for the kids. “I hope all is well?” she asked as we pulled away. I only nodded, as I was sure my breath was still full of alcohol. I didn't want to give her a reason to judge me.“Clinton, my boy,” Mr. Smith said, taking Clinton in his arms. When I pulled away from Mrs. Smith's arms, I walked to Mr. Smith, who also took me into his arms. I didn't stay for long in Mr. Smith's arms. "Oh, my baby, look at you,” Mrs. Smith said, walking to Jade. The baby was crying, so she took him from his arms.I turned to Grace, who was chatting with Layla, her daughter-in-law. “Good evening, Grace,” I said, and they both stood to their feet, Gr
~JESSICA~He didn't say anything, he instead sped up and I said, “Clinton, I'm just joking.”“No, you're not, now I understand why you acted like you couldn't see me when those girls talked to me,” he said, and I looked out the window.Since Clinton drove at a fast speed, it only took a few minutes to reach the house. I got out first, and Clinton followed behind.“What did I even do that you played such a trick on me?”“Nothing, you didn't do anything
~JESSICA~“Clinton, how are you? H-how is Kiara?“She's fine, why did you call?” Clinton harshly asked.“I'm glad, and Jessica, how is she?”“She's fine too. Do you have anything to actually say because I'm busy?”“Yes, I want to apologize for everything. I know what I did is unforgivable, especially stealing Sophie from Layla and using her against you. I shouldn't have done that.”"Yes, you shouldn't have.”“I caused another woman pain, I didn't want to accept that what we had or what I thought we had was over, and Jessica,” her voice cracked. I grabbed the phone from Clinton.“Hi Sophia, it's okay, we…” I paused and looked at Clinton, who didn't look happy. “We forgive you and Kiara, she might not forgive you now, but she will, she just needs time.”“Thank you, Jessica, you are such a good person.”“You are good too, you saved Clinton,” I told her, and after bidding goodbye, she ended the call, and we walked toward the entrance.“Why are you such a good person after what Sophia did
~JESSICA~~LONDON~~A WEEK LATER~“Come on, Clinton, she told me he is a friend,” I argued and took a sip of my glass of water as I watched my husband chop vegetables.“I don't care, she can't be friends with boys.” “Kiara is smart, I don't think anyone can play her.” I placed the glass on the counter and leaned on the counter.“Play her, okay, that's it, she's coming back, they will be going to school from the house,” he said, sounding serious.“And you think that will stop her? She will still be going to school.”“At least I will monitor her every move.” He was worried about Kiara's new friend, they came over yesterday for dinner, and because he was a boy, he thought it was dangerous, as he didn't want anyone to play her heart. I trusted Kiara, she was smart, and I knew no one could play her.“I won't let you do that.”“Love, you don't understand boys, they like to experiment and do funny things, I don't want that to happen to my daughters.”“Says a man with three sons.” I rolled m
~JESSICA~I struggled to open my eyes because of the little dim light that was foreign to my eyes. My room's curtain was black because I hated sun rays, so this was definitely not my room.“Stand by the window; she hates light!” I heard Clinton's voice, and I shot my eyes open. “Thank God you're awake, I was getting worried.” He ran to my side and took my hands into his. I looked at him, confused, before my eyes roamed to take in my surroundings.It was a small room, everything was white, and by the ceiling, I easily figured we were on a yacht. I sat up and looked at him, confused.
~JESSICA~The priest started the ceremony, and my eyes somehow found their way to the door. I knew no one could save me as I locked up the only person who could, but I still hoped he found a way.I didn't want to marry Accardo, Clinton was my husband, he will always be the man I love, and marrying another man was wrong. I knew this was for the best, so I blinked away the tears and looked back at the priest, who asked us to hold hands.“You are mine, no one will come and save you now, even if they try. My guards surround the church. They won't hesitate to shoot anyone who was not invited.” He grabbe
~JESSICA~“I'm sorry,” I ran my hand through my hair, not knowing how to defend myself."Sorry, cannot fix this, I'm so disappointed in you.” I didn't respond because what was there to say? I betrayed him, but only because I thought he cheated on me. “We have five kids, five kids, and you just went ahead and slept with another man?”“I thought you cheated on me.”“That is not an excuse, I have never cheated on you, and I never slept with anyone since I met you, but you—you keep betraying my love.” He sounded both angry and disappointed. That
“When do you want the delivery, ma’am?”“Now, I want it now, if you please.”“Alright, just say out your address, and it will be delivered to you within a few minutes,” she said, and I gave her the house address before I ended the call, just like magic Clinton appeared.“Who were you talking to?” he suspiciously asked, and I shook my head.“No one, hehe, did you get it?” “Yes, do you need anything else?” He asked, and I looked down. He had, like, ten packets of pads in his hands.“Why did you bring all this?” I laughed.“I didn't know which one you preferred, and you have like ten different brands, I didn't want you to send me away again,” he said, walking toward me."Okay, it's fine, j–just take them to the guest bathroom, I will be there,” I nervously said. I wanted him to be far away so I could go and receive the delivery.“Are you sure?”“Yes, I'm very sure, please.” I made a pitiful look, and he looked at me suspiciously before he spoke.“Can I get a kiss for being such a wonder