Mr Smith could barely open his eyes, his vision blurred but yet, he could make out the figure hovering over him, the dark hair, sophisticated fragrance, it definitely must be Liam Hickson. Soon enough, he felt himself being lifted onto the stretcher, and another voice, which he recognized, was also calling out to the paramedics to hasten it up.A few seconds ago, he had stood at the top of the stairs watching with keen eyes Adrian's proposal charade, he had wondered why he had chosen a harder way to live, being a killer, he didn't have enough time to love a woman properly including Sydney's mother, at that moment regret filled his heart.He felt movements behind him, but before he could turn around, he felt the push, and he was already midway in the air; for a split second, his eyes caught wind of his attacker; it was a woman; he was certain of that. The paramedics put on an oxygen mask for him and drove away in an ambulance.Death was near; he could feel it but wasn't ready to admit
Adrian drew Rissa close to his heart, he inhaled her soft fragrance, and his heavy heart dwindled; for the first time in a while, he felt fear coursed through him. A few hours ago, he had proposed to Rissa in front of a large crowd, and his company just earned the world's recognition; why was he so emotionally drained?He had just watched Mr Smith fall to his death, and he wondered what fate lay ahead for him; Diane had been so quiet that he wondered desperately what she had in plan; Rissa put her hand on his hair and ruffled it slightly; she looked into his eyes and smiled warmly.They had been through so many hurdles that it meant nothing to Rissa again; she knew it would be over one day and they would survive it all. Both of them stayed glued to each other, a beautiful sight to behold.“You know we should be in a celebratory mood right!”Rissa said teasingly, and Adrian laughed; she was right; they should be celebrating it, but unfortunately, the negative outturn of events had sour
“We won bigger Liam”Amber shouted excitedly, flaunting her phone in his face; Liam's eyes widened in disbelief; they lost the world's best competition, but they gained a whole lot of hearts and a premium trade permit from a highly populated Asian country that barely issues one to companies.Liam hugged his wife, and they both couldn't contain their excitement; he rushed to the wine cellar and brought out his most expensive wine. Amber got the glasses, and he poured both of them in ample amounts. A few minutes ago, he was sulking like a teenager, but here he was in a celebratory mood.Amber's eyes never left the article as she read further into Liam's hearing, he hastily picked up his laptop and switched it on to open his mailbox, and as predicted, the permit invitation was sitting pretty waiting for him to acknowledge it which he did without delay, now he was going to be able to expand his territory and sell his products to such prestigious country.He knew such an offer was too juic
The coldness in the room could freeze the blood; the door opened with a soft creaking sound, and two men walked in; they were covered all over and dressed in black. One of them held up a small light and started checking each of the numbers of the freezers.When he eventually saw it, relief flooded his eyes, and he gestured towards his partner to join him; together, they dragged out the freezer, revealing a cold human corpse. One of the men held up his phone and compared the picture to the corpse which fortunately was a match.They carried it and bonded it with some polythene that they had prepared, sneaked out of the morgue, and loaded it into their van. They were about to take off when one of the security personnel walked up to them, holding up his light; sensing the danger, the driver zoomed off, destroying the gate.The security man hastily pressed the red alert button, and the security alarm started blaring; the other security men joined him immediately, and they started tailing t
*Flashback*Stella rushed to Mariah’s house in tears, she was clutching tightly a letter in her hand. She knocked on the door severally, and Mariah's stepmother opened the door; she threw Stella a disdainful look, which the young girl ignored.“Good morning, is Mariah in?” She questioned.“She is out back in the garden tending to the flowers”, the woman responded pointing towards the backdoor in a bid to be rid of her presence.Stella didn't wait for her next word, she literally flew down to the backdoor and turned the doorknob with so much force. She walked into the back garden and saw Mariah, who had a happy glint about her; her soft smile shone in the morning sun.Her radiance made Stella's heart settle; she rushed over to her and hugged her tightly, crying bitterly on her shoulder; Mariah couldn't help but pat her back; she knew Stella could be a crybaby sometimes despite her hard girl exterior.The only person who could console her so well was Abraham, but unfortunately, he was b
Rissa couldn't hold back her tears, Adrian held her shoulder to avoid her falling, and the memories of Mariah's kindness towards her during and after Caleb's pregnancy flooded her fragile mind. Her homemade fresh foods, kind jovial words, and also unending gifts.She wondered how Stella, her mother was coping at the moment. Every fiber in her body wished the private jet hadn't developed a technical fault. They could have flown in since the previous day. Adrian had kept on monitoring the progress of it hoping they could make the trip that very day. Caleb and Bianca sat wearily on the chair. They had consoled Rissa all night, but the longer it took for the repair, the more frustrated she had become.“Adrian, I think we should go by road”, Rissa said, biting her lower lip and blankly staring at the wall ahead.“Babe, I know you want to see everyone; I am as frustrated as you are because there is no public direct flight there; we would have boarded that; the only options left are train an
Rissa held Caleb tightly as the car increased its speed; she picked up her phone and hastily dropped a message for Adrian, whose phone was on *do not disturb*. She knew his meeting might last another hour which might be too late.Maybe it was going to be her last message; she wrote a heartfelt, affectionate longing in the last sentence of the message before sending it. To her relief, the driver had finally lost the tailing car, but they seemed to have diverged from the path of the main road.The other car in which the three other bodyguards were driving was out of sight, something that worried her more. Even Caleb couldn't sleep anymore; he was already crying, and guilt built up in Rissa; why had she stubbornly insisted on traveling? Why didn't she consider the risk of their lives? If anything happens to Caleb, she would never forgive herself, even in death, she vowed inwardly.“I think we finally lost them, Miss Stonebridge, are you okay?”One of the bodyguards questioned worriedly
Rissa opened her eyes slightly; she felt lightheaded from the impact of the accident; her first instinct was to check up on Caleb, who had lost consciousness earlier. She tried to raise her head but couldn't; her eyes caught his shirt lying helplessly on the ground, and fear gripped her. She managed to scream out alerting their kidnappers.To her utmost surprise, she had expected to be gargled or screamed at, but their nonchalant reaction scared her; instead, they laughed out and ignored her again. She managed to form some incoherent words but unfortunately, no one seems to care about it.“You are in a tunnel; save your strength.”That voice! She thought desperately; it was totally familiar. Adrian had warned her that Diane Denver wasn't to be taken lightly, and she didn't seem to return to Los Angeles for mere child’s play. After all the endless torments she had put them through in the past, why had this wench decided to kidnap them now.“He will be here soon, that arrogant bastard”.
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