Rosa kept throwing occasional suspicious glances at Diane who was busy cementing her usual flawless makeup. She couldn't shake off the possibility of her finding out about their plan before they were able to execute it. She had desperately hoped that Diane hadn't tapped her phone as she did bug her car.With her sensitive discussion with Bryan, and their rebellious scheme to overthrow her or probably eliminate her for good, Rosa had made up her mind; she was going to risk it; how long was she willing to lick the floor that the bitchy woman walks on.From the day she had set her eyes on Diane at the organization, she knew for a fact that she was trouble, it was just unfortunate that men’s blind lust for her had cost the previous general, her bedmate his life, not that Rosa cared, after all, she had only taken to his bed to save her own miserable life.She looked down at her hand, and her eyes flicked over the tattoo in her hand, her lifesaver, which had ensured her survival all along,
She crushed the paper she was holding; anger brewed in her; she had to put up with that saucy bitch because of a mere slip-up from that wretched opportunist. Mr Denver's eyes shot up and her late husband’s stoic face from the wall frame bore into hers as if he was judging her harshly.Mrs. Denver hissed angrily, it was a marriage of convenience from the start so he couldn't have expected faithfulness from her, he never attempted to show her love either, he was busy frolicking with that coward bartender, but now the outcome had come back to bite her in flesh as Diane Donaldson, the thick-skinned bitch.She picked up her private phone and stared intently at it, the message was simple and clear enough, but can it be trusted? She had grown up with the knowledge of walking on eggshells around everybody else, just one slip could lead to one’s destruction.“Mrs. D, We can turn the table around; our mutual enmity could be put to good use; call me if it resonates with you.”Mrs. Denver could s
The oil draped over her shoulder down to her vertebrae column, the slippery wetness of it gave her a refreshing feeling. Freshly exiting a warm milky bath, her body has prepared itself well for the impending massage.Adrian’s coarse palm gently spread the oil on her back, and Rissa let out a soft moan; it felt so good that she could feel the wetness between her legs already after how rough their week had been and how scary the incoming week was promising to be, in between they had to live a life.It had taken them hours the previous day to deliberate on their intentional cushioning effect against the immediate problem on ground. Bianca had persuaded them to allow her to relocate Caleb temporarily till the storms would quit. Infant Caleb is having a great time at the Grey’s mansion with his dear hilarious granny.Adrian's hand grazed her supple skin, and he kept massaging it gently, creating a sense of tranquility in Rissa's mood; it all didn't matter at that moment; all her fears were
“It was a threatened abortion, but the baby survived, thankfully”, Adrian responded sardonically.His voice carried a lot of emotions behind it ranging from fear to guilt. Bianca shouldn't have returned to her state; now he had one more person to worry about while still navigating through the odds that weren't yet in his favor. Rissa knew she had to be strong for him and she consoled him with word and action.They ended the call, and Adrian returned to the VIP ward where Abraham was patiently waiting; the older man stood up at sighting him and relayed Bianca's hilarious demands to him. He laughed hysterically, knowing his dear aunt was requesting McDonald's Pizza; she seemed to have recovered well from her initial mortified state.Bianca sat up on her bed and stared blankly at the wall opposite her direction. She impulsively rubbed her stomach, and a fresh wave of fear engulfed her. She had almost lost her bundle of joy before his due date. She had made a call to her husband the previ
The night’s air howled loudly, promising a tranquility that seemed unlikely. Diane knows better than to assume the world is in her favor. She had taken up the glass and held it up; she clinked it to nothingness, allowing her imaginative friend to feast along with her.She had walked through her journey to realize that she had to be weary or betray everyone and everyone eventually. Her eyes had been glued on Rosa, who kept acting meek around her, but she couldn't let her guard down; the girl had survived that shithole of life longer than she did, so she would be used to shifting as power changes hands.Diane picked up her phone and called that director again; he had refused her the first time, so she hoped she could make her offer juicer; probably, he could get greedy enough to fall for it. She knew money alone wouldn't attract him; he had enough of it; what he needed now was something attractive enough to a man like him—-more power.The phone rang endlessly, but nobody came to receive
The endless blaring of the alarm jolted Rissa from her sleep; she trotted into Caleb's room to check up on him, as it had been a hell of a previous day. The memory of her ruined birthday surprise lingered in the air, but it didn't matter to her; she was only glad that Bianca and the baby were alright.She looked over at her phone, which she had dropped beside Caleb's bed, and the notification bar seemed to be filled with messages. She ignored it and walked into the visitor's room where her mother Stella had slept off alongside the twin, her stepbrothers. They had grown bigger than the last time she saw them and she felt a pang of stabbing guilt at the fact that she barely visits them in the countryside.She was about to walk out when she heard Stella's voice call back at her. She walked close to her and sat beside the gigantic bed staring into her mother's worried eyes.“You look tired Rissa”, Stella said calmly, maintaining eye contact with her, a gesture she does when requesting for
“My daughter died because I……” Mr Smith had paused and cleared his throat. “I failed her, that's all”. Rosa scoffed inwardly at the memory of their conversation. Just when she thought she had finally broken through the barrier in his heart and they were building a cordial relationship, the jerk had to build a solid wall around his heart pushing her over completely.She walked into the house already preparing her brief speech of her supposed whereabouts. She walked in to see a disgusting sight of Diane with a strange man getting down on her and they were both moaning loudly. Rosa looked away instantly and rushed up the stairs that led to her room.Diane had always been a hell of a crazy bitch; why having sex in the living room, but she couldn't care less; at least she indecently got to save her the trouble of explaining her destination. She dropped her bag on the bed and got out of her heel shoes.Her mind spiraled through the happenings of that time, she couldn't shake off the feelin
“You are getting married?” Adrian questioned suspiciously. Caleb's words, though hilarious, hit him a hard way; everyone else, too, seemed to have abandoned their food and focused solely on Caleb, waiting for a better explanation.“Yes, Dad, so the drama club chose Alice and me for the lead roles.”Rissa's fear melted and she laughed hysterically so did Stella, Caleb had announced it initially in a scary way that they thought he really meant a marriage, Abraham’s expression was unreadable, his eyes just shifted focus to Adrian who seemed to be sulking, despite he was desperately trying to hide it, an experienced man like Adam caught it immediately.“I think I am done here”, Adrian said as he hastily munched on the last piece of meat in his food. He was about to leave the table casually when Abraham spoke up, “Can I have a word, Mr Grey?”. All eyes turned to face him as Abraham wasn't the type to ask for such private conversations, he was more of the reserved type, especially around po
The door opened with a loud thud and Adrian jumped up abruptly, his heart thumping loudly that he could barely manage to stand up straight. Rissa rushed towards them, and they all gathered around the surgeon, who threw a casual look at Rissa's exquisite shimmering flowing white gown.“The surgery was successful”Just one word and jubilation filled the air; Bianca and the baby boy had made it, and to their relief, Caleb hugged his cousin Gracia, who was still so overwhelmed that she had gotten a little brother at her teenage age. Bianca’s husband broke down in tears and Adrian had to console him.Adrian held Rissa's hand, and they exited the hospital; now that the baby had been born, they could enjoy the later part of their wedding party in merriment. Once they returned to the venue, Rissa rushed back to her changing room, where her designer was waiting patiently; Adrian had booked her for the whole day’s worth, so she had no problem with their little charade.“Let us skip the second l
The cool breeze blew in Rissa's face, and she felt bliss formed in her heart; for the second time in her lifetime, she heard the priest announce her arrival.“Here comes the bride”All heads turned in her direction, and thousands of eyes followed her gentle stride; from the pleasant look on their faces, her designer had done a flawless job. The stress that came with fitting her bulging stomach into the elegant dress she chose was a really hilarious moment for Camela. Rissa had vowed that her pregnancy wasn't going to stop her from slaying to her wedding.Abraham got up, Stella gave him a reassuring nod and he made for Rissa's side. She gave him a soft smile as the feeling of safety engulfed her; he had been nothing short of a wonderful father figure since she met him, and she wasn't willing to trade him for anyone, even if her real father were to show up, which was very unlikely. Walking her down the aisle, Abraham had truly earned it.Rissa's eyes met Adrian's, he looked at her so dr
Rosa kept shooting daggers at Adrian, but he didn't care; all that mattered was getting them deported out of Los Angeles. The police officers ushered them into the van. Bryan was silent, which bothered Adrian a little, but he overlooked it.Mrs Denver didn't show up; she had invited them, Bryan and Rosa, over only to hand them over to Adrian, who was hellbent on putting them behind bars or getting them deported. Unfortunately, Bryan had no other recorded crime aside from illegal entry, but Rosa could spend a few years behind bars for abetting Diane's crimes.Rosa was being dragged forcibly by a policeman when she screamed out; he released her arm as black blood was seeping out; Adrian remembered their last encounter, the bullet wound, and explained to the officers; they allowed her to undress the wound, to their surprise, it was rotting away.Adrian closed his eyes, disgusted by the pungent smell coming out of them; they decided to take her to the hospital while Bryan was to go into d
“I believe you are holding our family's treasure, Mr. Hickson.”Mrs Denver's loud voice cut through the air, the amusement behind her voice, a loud sound of victory. Liam contemplated calling off her charade but he decided to be civil about it.“I thought you said she wasn't your husband’s illegitimate daughter?” he questioned with a slightly raised brow.“I lied, but now that the three of them are dead and I don't have to take sleeping pills to force myself to sleep, I need to rub it in my husband's face by burying her ashes beside his”.Liam paused for a few seconds savouring the bitterness behind her words. She wasn't totally wrong. Diane’s bad blood was inherited from her callous father, Mr Denver, and they didn't really deserve any mercy. He looked down at the ceramic he was holding and stretched it forward to her.He had achieved his aim already, so having her ashes taken away by her family wasn't a big deal. His mind drifted off to the day he got their divorce papers signed, th
*Diane's Dream*Clara tried holding Diane's hand, but she pushed her hands away; the pain in her eyes, the unspoken resentment, she wondered how she even recognized her, but none of it seemed to matter; she just wanted to get out of her sight.“I am sorry my child”Diane turned around and gave her a disdainful look as if it mattered at all; all she wanted was to return to Rissa's ward and infuse the poisonous substance into her bloodstream. She looked around herself, everywhere looked so bright and deserted.She walked on, ignoring the helpless lady standing by her side pleading for her forgiveness; her life had been made miserable all thanks to her mother's reckless choice of man.“Diane, I never abandoned you, it is just….”“Save it to yourself, woman; I do not think I want to hear your excuses; I just want to get the hell out of here.”To her surprise, the woman did as she said, within a split second she disappeared, replaced by an all too familiar face, Mr Smith. Diane felt fear
“Adrian, am I pregnant?” Rissa wanted to scream but she held it in. An awkward silence ensued in the room; Adrian looked away instantly, avoiding Rissa's piercing gaze. Liam took it as a clue to leave, his bombshell seemed to have caused a shift in the atmosphere of the room.“I will check up on you later,” Liam said and winked playfully at Caleb, who smiled warmly in return. He walked out of the room with Adrian by his side. The moment they were out of sight, he apologized profusely to Adrian for spilling the beans. He had unintentionally eavesdropped on Adrian and the doctor's conversation earlier, which made him realize she was pregnant at a very early stage.“It is fine; congratulations to you, too. I guess Mrs. Hickson must be overwhelmed.”“She is, our daughter Bella is barely eight months old and……wait! Why are we talking about this?” Liam said bewildered.“Beats me too; we aren't friends after all,” Adrian responded, and awkwardly, they both laughed heartily.Adrian and Liam
Bryan paced endlessly, agitated by the silence around him. She had promised to reach out to him when the coast was clear but apparently something unfortunate had happened. He ruffled his lustrous hair as frustration welled up in him. Rosa wasn't the type to ghost him indefinitely.He thought inwardly about taking the offer discreetly. Mrs. Denver had reached out to him without Rosa's knowledge; she had warned him of her two-faced plot, and he was caught between calling it a bluff or actually naming her a traitor.Diane and Rosa have their pictures and videos circulating the internet. He was certain they were together but had she changed her mind and taken Diane's side again? He didn't want to talk about it.A knock sounded at the door, and he opened it immediately; he staggered backward, startled; he had expected a hotel attendant, but to his amazement, two prominent men in Los Angeles had paid him a visit.“Can we come in?”Bryan’s eyes widened, and he stared intently into Adrian Gre
Chapter One Hundred and Ninety-ThreeWhen It Seems to Be OverLiam couldn't help but feel impressed by Adrian Grey again. He had always surpassed his expectations in every way possible. The news of his family's safe return had raised a lot of jubilations that made even Liam happy.When the news of Rissa and Caleb's kidnap was aired, fear gripped him; he couldn't take his eyes off his family for days. He felt bad for Adrian, but he felt worse because it was Rissa. Bella crawled up to him enthusiastically flaunting her rattle in his face.Liam picked her up and wrapped his arm around her, she was growing up way too fast that it gave him unexplainable joy. Amber entered the room looking dejected and Liam got worried. He walked up to her and inquired what the problem was, her response shocked him to the bone marrow.“You mean we are having another baby?” He questioned wide-eyed.Amber responded with a short nod and busted into tears. Liam left the room immediately to drop Bella with her n
“Shall we play a game, Adrian?” Her devilish wink sent shivers down his spine; he looked down at Caleb, who seemed to be fidgeting too; he exchanged knowing looks with him, assuring him of having the situation under control.“The rules are simple: just nod your response, no talking, you talk, he dies! non-negotiable”.Adrian closed his eyes and nodded in affirmation, Diane sat up on the chair and faced him while still on his knees. Adrian could feel his knees hurting, but he didn't care at all; all that mattered to him was getting his family out of the hellhole.“Did Mr Smith offer you a deal?”Adrian nodded affirmatively, and Diane cursed inwardly; she suspected that sly bastard was up to something; she should have thrown him to the fishes when she had the chance.Her phone rang, and she looked over at it; she exchanged stiff glances with Rosa, who got the message clearly. Rosa came close to her and held Caleb by the shoulder while Diane left to pick up her discreet call.Rosa star