THE MOMENT Ellaine had stepped foot on Jacob’s mansion, and saw the man walking downstairs, she immediately stormed in his direction. Met him halfway and slapped him real hard on his face.Her sudden action made the man tilt his head. Seconds later, he laughed, and licked the corner of his lips that turned red because of her slap before he stared at her again.“What do you think you are doing, Jacob?!” Ellaine yelled at him angrily, her chest going up and down because of the intense emotions enveloping her chest.“Do I really have to spell it out for you?”The man raised an eyebrow, eyeing her with nothing but utter disgust like she was some kind of a pest he would not even want to stare at. That thought angered her more.“You can’t abandon us just like that, Jacob,” she said through her gritted teeth. “I didn’t take part in your plan just to be treated this way in the end. Do you want me to fuck you up? I can go ahead and show myself up to Michelle and tell her every—”“Ellaine, Ella
ETHAN tried to conceal the overwhelming sense of suspicion and curiosity he had been feeling the entire time. He thought that Ellaine had gotten more agitated since that night when she went out without letting him know where she went.The people in the apartment acted as if there was no problem; but his other senses could feel that there was something wrong even if his eyes could not see it.Ellaine and Jasper were both strange in so many ways.A flash of confusion would always consume him whenever he thought about what Jasper told him that night when he was drunk, like how everyone's minds were messed up. He knew there was a deeper meaning behind Jasper’s confusing statement, and he wanted to know what it was.That afternoon, Ethan stayed in his room, hearing Ellaine release her frustration as she spoke to someone over the phone. The woman would often scream and curse someone and start saying things that he could not decipher. Jasper, on the other hand, went back to his usual snobbis
SHE BIT down on her tongue as she looked at the official receipts that were handed to her by Ethan’s personal secretary. All the debts were paid using the share Ethan allotted for her. Michelle still pondered whether it was a good idea to use that money without her husband’s consent. However, the fiasco her family was in was getting bigger every single day, leaving her no other choice but to do it anyway.Putting the receipts down on the table, she focused her attention on Marsha. They were on the couch, sitting, and she grabbed the comb to fix Marsha’s long hair.“Mommy, why am I seeing Daddy’s picture on the news?” Marsha pointed her little finger to the smart TV, on which news about Ethan’s company was being reported.The reporter was publicly announcing that Steinfield Company would no longer operate as the wife of the CEO chose not to sell it to Jacob Steinfield. Michelle had decided that way, mainly because she wanted to save the company building. Once Ethan came back, they coul
A PANG of anxiety went through her.She kept calling Ethan, hoping that the car would come to a stop and her husband would run towards her. However, it did not happen. It was as if cold water had splashed over her. Her whole body tensed, making her unable to move for a brief second before the fear started to consume her.Her husband was going away!Afraid that she would lose him again, she stepped back, parted her lips, and immediately ran to the cab she hired. As the adrenaline rushed through her, she commanded the driver to follow the car where Ethan was.“Drive faster, Sir. It’s my husband. I need to see him!” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks as she couldn’t help but become anxious by the second.The car Ethan was in was driving so fast. Luckily, her driver understood that it was urgent and drove fast too to follow her husband.Swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to figure out for herself why Ethan did not even look her way. She called him, but he never responded.
“WHO WAS SHE?”Ethan was raising hell when they went home. He was damn frustrated. He could feel that his insides would explode in frustration.Jasper had been so silent on their way home, but with the way the man drove the car so fast, Ethan knew that the woman who called him back in front of the company building chased them.He wanted to know why they ran away from the woman. Was she dangerous? Why did she know his name? Why did she chase them?Those were the questions that kept fucking up his mind. The only person that he thought could answer all these questions was Jasper, but the goddamn nurse would not open his mouth to say a single word about what happened.“Jasper!” he shouted. His chest went up and down due to his heavy breathing. The apartment was silent, which only meant that Ellaine was not home yet. It was a perfect time for them to talk. “Goddamnit! Why don’t you speak now while Ellaine isn’t here yet? I’m so fucking confused!”“This is not the right time for you to know
EYES followed her as she paced back and forth in the living room, hands clasping together in anxiety as she waited for Andrew to call. On the couch, Megan, who was holding Marsha on her lap, and Gregory were seated, waiting just like her.Michelle knew it was impossible for her to seek help from the U.S. police faster, which is why she decided to contact Andrew and Megan. The couple had seen the CCTV footage and were taken aback to see Ethan in person. Andrew immediately took action and went out to go to the police for some help.Andrew had been out for almost two hours. Michelle could feel her heart ripping through her ribcage. She had not calmed down since seeing Ethan in front of the company building. The desire to see and hug her husband consumed her, so she wanted to see him as soon as possible.Her daughter, Marsha, was only watching her quietly. The little girl’s eyes radiated with curiosity and utter confusion. Michelle hadn’t told her that she saw Ethan, but the little girl k
SHE rested her elbow on the railings of the stairs, gazing down to the bottom of the stairs with furrowed brows. Jasper. She hadn’t known anyone whose name was Jasper. The man she was speaking to on the phone confused her.“Jasper,” she uttered his name in utter curiosity. “Who are you, really?”“Your voice tells me you are a feisty woman,” Jasper commented, which was followed by a sigh. “Let’s just say I can be your ‘helping hand’ in this situation. “Didn’t you see your husband earlier this afternoon?”Michelle sucked in a deep breath. “Yes, and how did you even know that? Like I asked, who are you, Jasper?”There was a moment of silence. The darkness of the second floor was utterly triggering the nervousness she felt deep within. She wanted to know this man who just sent her a cryptic text message. She wanted to know what he knew about her husband…“Who are you?” she asked once again. This time, desperation emerged in her voice.“I am the man who was with your husband earlier.”Mich
“THE NAME of the man is Jasper Reid.”Andrew handed her a paper that had a well-detailed sketch of the man. Michelle was surprised to see the familiarity of the man’s face. It was really that person who accompanied Ethan that day when she saw him.“He’s a caregiver,” Andrew added. “We are not sure what his motives are for taking Ethan away, but the cops are already tracking his location. He’d be on the news as a wanted person. I’ll put a price on his head so anyone who sees him will not hesitate to report him to the police.”“No, you can’t do that,” Michelle objected, sitting down on the couch near her. She could feel her mouth running so dry due to a lot of things she had on her mind. “Don’t do that, Andrew. We can’t publicize that he’s wanted.”“What do you mean we can’t do that?” Andrew looked at her with a confused expression.“Michelle, this is for the best. We need to find Ethan, and so to speed up the process, we thought we could seek help from the media to track that person do