“Amber, I cannot accept your offer; I am sorry”, Liam said pleadingly. Before he could explain further Amber dropped the call. He tried reaching out to her but she didn't pick up.Liam sank back on the bed dejectedly clenching his teeth irritably. He had liked her as a friend but not in a romantic way.“Don't beat yourself about it, Liam, she will meet her perfect match soon”, he soliloquized loudly, trying to make himself feel less guilty.He rolled about in bed for about thirty minutes before he finally slept off. A continuous knock on the door jabbed him out of his sleepiness.“Open the damn door before I break it down”.Liam rolled over and fell on the floor, bewildered; he switched on his bedside lamp and took a peep at his fancy wall clock. It was way past midnight.“Open the damn door, Liam!” The screaming intensified.He knew instantly he was in for a bumpy ride that night. He was still dressed in a shirt that he had on earlier; the depressing day had left him so drained that
Rowen jolted up and screamed out in his hoarse voice. He grabbed the bedsheet for support feeling shivers down his spine.Two housekeepers rushed over after hearing his scream, he looked at their stunned faces and managed to raise his quivering hand to shut his mouth.“Mr Hickson, is anything the problem?”He didn't respond, he knew they wouldn't probe him further, they dare not. One of them moved close and adjusted his bed; he waved his hand dismissively, signalling that they were leaving.They left him undisturbed and went about their duties. He couldn't get any more sleep that night. Not with the loud banging of the door from Liam's room.Thankfully, it stopped along the line; his memories haunted him relentlessly, and so did his nemesis.Edward Grey of Perchy Peach whom he had befriended for years before they had to put their companies first and become enemies.His infatuation with fierce Bianca had complicated their relationship further, in his unconscious state, he had heard Bia
“What is this bitch doing here Liam!” Diane cried out pissed. She felt the tiny heel of her shoe almost slip, and she staggered backwards, startled.Amber just watched her laughing devilishly; embarrassment engulfed Diane; Liam had played a fast one on her. She looked up to meet his eyes and saw a glint of guilt.What a boy! After giving her such an awful surprise at Amber's presence, he still had the guts to feel remorseful. She resolved that very second, it was time to use her usual tool, cunningness!She adjusted herself and her posture shifted, exuding dominance and confidence. She was all draped in designer, what is there to feel insecure about?“I didn't know you two are sleeping together now, typical Liam, always jumping from one woman's bed to others; sorry, Amber, it took him this long to finally give in to your desperation”.The blank expression on their faces dissipated that her taunt had worked; she inwardly raised her wine glass in merriment. To her bewilderment, Liam
“I was,” Rowen Hickson said with confidence. Being baffled was an understatement as Adrian exchanged gazes with the security personnel.Bianca said she had suspected someone from the CCTV footage showing up every night for three consecutive nights and always staring at Adrian's apartment. So they decided to set a trap for him that night.“What sly bastard did our trap…..”Bianca was saying as she walked into the living room. The word got stuck on her tongue when he saw who the intruder turned out to be.Shocked, she backed away from the room to catch her breath. What was Rowen Hickson doing there? Wasn't he bedridden?Rowen just looked over at her and looked away instantly, not caring about the emotion that was evident on her pale face.“Why are you here Mr Hickson?”“You know why I am here Adrian”.“You have all the resources to hire someone to do it, why are you here by yourself?” Adrian questioned suspiciously.“Could I trust anyone with it? Of course not”“Excuse us”, Adrian said
*Bang* A cold chill swept over Adrian as two bodies dropped unconsciously on the floor. He hastily rushed over to Rowen Hickson who was already coughing blood. “Call an ambulance!” He screamed in agony. One of the bodyguards rushed over to Tracy whom his fired bullet had grazed her arm. She wriggled around in pain. No one had seen it coming; she wasn't expected to shoot Rowen Hickson on the spot. The angry blaring of the ambulance siren made them all alert; Bianca just stood at a spot, horrified, not daring to move or speak. A million self-blame ran through her head. Why had she given in to Tracy's trickery from the start? She had assumed using Rowen Hickson's enemy to punish him would relieve her resentment towards him for orchestrating her brother's death and denying their child. In the end, it all turns out to be false, and Rowen is dying as a result of her foolishness. Rowen and Tracy were ushered into the ambulance van. The police also arrived at the scene immediately; Tra
Amber hastily picked up her bag and rushed out of the office. Her secretary, a lanky tall man, requested he follow her, but she outrightly rejected the offer.Rissa's call had destabilized her emotions, and the only thing that mattered was finding Liam, the grieving Liam.She knew better than to be at ease knowing fully well the emotional disturbances that he had gone through the past few months. She kept calling his number repeatedly before she left her office but he wasn't picking up.Amber got into her car and zoomed off thinking of where he could be.“Liam! Liam! Where could you be?” She kept humming while driving at high speed.The memory of their childhood resurfaced in her mind, the days Rowen scolded him badly; Liam had always hidden himself in his late mother's room or swam endlessly in the pool till he was almost out of breath.Where would the adult Liam want to be, she wondered?The car came to an abrupt stop in front of the Hickson's mansion and she alighted hastily. She a
“My girlfriend is losing consciousness”, Adrian shouted distressed.The policemen stationed outside the mansion exchanged confused looks. One of them called the emergency service. Adrian, sensing impending defeat, hastily immersed in his acting skill.“I need to get her an inhaler before it is too late. Are you going to take responsibility for that? I have one in there”, he said, pointing towards his apartment.The hesitance of the police made him glare more at them, they finally agreed that he could go in there but must only return with an inhaler.Adrian smiled inwardly at successfully fooling them; he carefully laid Rissa on the relaxation chair and rushed in; one of the policemen stood beside her, watching her gasping for air.He rushed straight to his study and picked up the box. He unboxed it and brought out a small flash, he knew shredding the papers would leave some evidence behind. He tore them into pieces and flushed them down the toilet. He was about to rush out when he rem
Liam carried the white porcelain close to his chest and moved slowly in a staggering motion.Amber stood by his side while other people kept making speculative guesses about their current relationship, but she couldn't care less; Liam needed her now, and she was there for him.The long siren kept the street bubbling as more people kept showing interest in Rowen's death. The families of the victims of the faulty construction gathered to protest in front of Golden Fingers.Tracy had made it her plan B by reaching out to them all from the onset and using their pent-up resentment for her own bidding. They kept demanding the truth from the grieving Liam Hickson.Despite the security personnel stationed around, they kept coming up with provocative billboards and ensured they posted the videos on social media to amass public sympathy.Liam disappointed them by reacting calmly against their expectation. Bianca’s reaction was the worst; she had actually surrendered to the police for a malicio
“If you keep staring at me like that, the steak will get burnt”, Sydney said nonchalantly.“Oh!” Adrian hastily reduced the heat of the grill and started dicing the steak.“You are not as dumb as the record suggests; I guess you figured it out already; you are different from Edward, your father”.“Is Mr Winter in on this too?” Adrian questioned suspiciously; at that point, he knew showing the fear in his heart would be a great weakness. He had to move along with the flow to save everyone he loved.“Mr Winter is my adopted father. I found my birth father a few years ago, and with this case, I have to prove to him that I am worth carrying his bloodline”, She picked up a fork and grabbed two diced steaks; she munched on them, savouring the taste.“What if he is using you?” Adrian questioned challengingly. Sydney laughed hysterically. “You care about me now? Do you think I am dumb enough not to have considered that? Well, I have proved useful too many times to be discarded”.“Okay, good l
Adrian outstretched his hand towards Rissa offering her a sparkling clean handkerchief. Her inaction towards collecting it made him draw her into his embrace.“Let us be positive, the doctor assured us that he will be fine”.Adrian's soothing words didn't do much to help Rissa's darkened countenance. Her mind is focused on tearing Mr George and his accomplices into shreds.She hadn't imagined Caleb and her son becoming a victim of their cruelty; she had felt sympathetic towards other victims from the onset, but now the pain runs deeper.Adrian took the television remote and increased the volume hastily, he watched Caleb's face as he slept peacefully. His fatherhood bond tugged at his subconscious mind telling him to make sure the perpetrators pay.They were still focused on the drinks before it was unknown to them that the candies had been copied too.“What! One of the victims died already”, Rissa said jolting out of her sorrowful state. She looked over at Caleb praying desperately fo
“Mr Grey, you have a package”, Mandy said, handing it over to him.“Who would send a package here for you, aren't you supposed to get them at the mansion?”. Rissa said, handing him a fork. He picked an apple slice and munched on it.“Beats me”, he said nonchalantly while opening the package.A note fell off it and Rissa picked it up.“From your number one fan, I hope you like it, Mr Grey”. She read out.Adrian could feel the heat radiating from Rissa's eyes as she clutched the note tightly as if she were ready to punch its sender in the face.Adrian smiled inwardly; for some reason, this jealous girlfriend version of her intrigues him a lot; he hid his desire to rub it in her face as he knew she would draw back.The package came off, and sunscreen was seen as a gift. They exchanged confused glances and it hit Rissa. She turned the note in her hand to the back.“Seeing how smooth your skin is as a porcelain jar, use this to prevent any blemishes that might try to ruin it”.“Sydney!” Ri
“We have another problem, Mr Grey,” she said hastily, her side glance thrown in Rissa's direction.“What is it?” Adrian questioned suspiciously, hiding his agitation; what else is about to go wrong? Mr George was just apprehended now just when he had his first breath of fresh air in hours, another problem has surfaced already.“That …that…”, she started.“Stop stammering already; we are all adults”, he said, referring to her walking up to his romantic moment with Rissa; after all, their relationship is public already.“I am sorry, Mr Winter just showed up unannounced”, she said at last.Adrian jumped up instantly with widened eyes, Rissa felt uncomfortable standing there watching them cluelessly.“Who is Mr Winter?” She questioned suspiciously.“A moneybag who could elevate the company but is very vicious and picky before investing, this impromptu visit puts us at a disadvantage”, Adrian rambled on feeling dejected.“Mr Grey, I think you should come now, we cannot keep him waiting and
Adrian's eyes widened in amazement, he had actually wished he could call on a fairy godmother as he usually imagined as a child. He was an adult now, such delusion could never solve his problems.But Alas! One has shown up all dressed stunningly turning all heads. He was tempted to rush out of his office as he stared intently at the CCTV footage where Rissa was surrounded by multiple paparazzi.She looked too confident to be calling whatever she was saying a bluff. Was her unexpected presence a solution or going to escalate the problems further?Whatever she was trying to do, he wasn't sure it would be effective except for her stunning look, which obviously had the best effect already.“Mr Grey, Miss Stonebridge has found us a solution”His secretary's words jolted him out of his depressed state. He didn't care about being classy and rushed down the stairs to the front door of Perchy Peach where Rissa was being interviewed.“As I had said earlier, those are the differences, check it o
“What do I want? So annoying when you ask in that manner” “What do you want Mr George?” Adrian questioned again; this time, his voice was firmer and dangerous. “Wow! So scary, well if you must know the only desire I have is to watch your company crumble”, Mr George said laughing awkwardly. Adrian resisted the urge to punch him in the face. This definitely was a bigger conspiracy, obviously; Mr George wasn't capable of orchestrating such alone. “Tell your sponsor that you make a great puppet, smart move on his part, someone would have to take the fall eventually…. someone easily dis..pen..sable”, Adrian said, smiling wickedly and taunting him. One of the few tricks he had picked up in his years as an actor. He stared intently into George’s eyes, his furrowed brow satisfied Adrian. Obviously, his trick had hit a nerve. “I am nobody's puppet! We are into a respectable partnership agreement, and we both have equal rights”, he responded defensively, crossing his arm over his chest.
Adrian locked hands with Rissa who put her ear gently on his broad chest. It feels like home, very homely, but it was too good to last a century.Adrian stared blankly at her, hoping desperately the world could be in favour of all their wishes. Everything was going on fine, so smoothly that he was feeling quite uneasy about it all.Tracy had committed suicide in prison after leaving a note stating she had gaslighted Bianca Grey and Diane Donaldson to do her bidding.They both got out unscratched after paying a meagre fine. Bianca left Los Angeles willingly after apologizing to those she had hurt, and Diane disappeared into thin air.Adrian couldn't be sure of how Liam Hickson handled the evidence he gave him secretly. But Golden Fingers seems to be back in all its glory, fiercely competing with Perchy Peach in the market.The only thing that reminds me of the scar of the battle is that Adrian insisted Rissa stay in his apartment, and this time around, she didn't refuse.The happiness
Adrian stretched out his hand and threw the flash into the air, three eyes followed its movement till it landed on the intruder's palm. Liam’s eyes widened at Adrian's foolishness.“Shedding blood wasn't necessary in the first place so I won't if you both stay put till I leave”.He shot the air to show them he was capable of destruction if they did not comply. Rissa and Amber heard the sound and fear gripped them. They hastily hid behind Adrian’s car while the intruder successfully ran off excitedly.There was no way they could be sure of who was behind the mask; too many people were after that evidence.“We will all get killed at this rate!” Liam said angrily.“Should I have allowed him to kill them?” Adrian shot back, returning his exact energy.They both stared intently into each other's furrowed brows and, at the same time, ran forward to check up on their women. Rissa and Amber were literally shaking from fear.Diane brought out a telescope, and her focal point was on Rissa and A
Liam carried the white porcelain close to his chest and moved slowly in a staggering motion.Amber stood by his side while other people kept making speculative guesses about their current relationship, but she couldn't care less; Liam needed her now, and she was there for him.The long siren kept the street bubbling as more people kept showing interest in Rowen's death. The families of the victims of the faulty construction gathered to protest in front of Golden Fingers.Tracy had made it her plan B by reaching out to them all from the onset and using their pent-up resentment for her own bidding. They kept demanding the truth from the grieving Liam Hickson.Despite the security personnel stationed around, they kept coming up with provocative billboards and ensured they posted the videos on social media to amass public sympathy.Liam disappointed them by reacting calmly against their expectation. Bianca’s reaction was the worst; she had actually surrendered to the police for a malicio