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
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
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
Rissa made her way to the gigantic bed of the hotel suite that her husband, Liam had rented for the whole week.A few minutes later, she felt a hand caressing her body in her dark room; she smiled inwardly as she called out to him seductively, “Babe" he kept touching her, and it felt good; Rissa dragged his face to hers, and their lips met.He kissed her hungrily, and she couldn't help but smile at how good it felt; she felt his hand move upward to her nipples as he sucked them lovingly, making her wet in her core even though she felt dizzy.She felt his hardness bulging out against her stomach; it felt good, and her nostrils were filled with the tantalizing aroma of his exquisite Cologne." I love you, babe”, she whispered into his ears, but he didn't respond with words; instead, he pushed into her wetness, and their bodies moved in sync.Rissa felt pleasure, but she felt too weak; her eyelids were too heavy to open; she tried to look into his charming eyes, but in her sleep-wake, s
Diane punched the remote control angrily switching off the television as the unfortunate news of Rissa's tragedy was displayed. She rummaged her well-polished fingernails in her hair and bit her quavering lips " It is all over the internet, Rissa”, she said sardonically and sank back on the sofa beside her best friend. Fresh tears streamed out from Rissa's pale face; she had to disguise herself hideously to exit the hotel, where she was apprehended by her husband. " This is the worst that could happen! I have no idea how on earth the reporters captured you in that blanket" Diane screamed in frustration " I…I ran after Liam to stop him," Rissa responded dejectedly, feeling foolish for putting herself in a trap as she did. Diane hugged her lovingly “It is okay baby girl, we will get through this together" Diane consoled her but Rissa disentangled herself from her arms " Be realistic Diane! there is no getting out of it; I just lost my marriage, I lost my job, I lost the man I l
Diane adjusted her bra straps as she hastily got up to get dressed; she looked at Liam's charming face, even in his sleep.She felt the trickling ache between her legs and smiled satisfactorily to herself. She had finally made love to Liam as she had always desired, and it felt good.Liam adjusted on the bed as his body kept signalling his usual waking hour, but his pounding head protested he stayed longer in bed.In his subconscious, he debated whether it was all a bad dream or his imagination that he just had sex." You are awake”, he heard Diane's voice clearly in his head, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it.He opened his left eye gently and closed it again as Diane's boldface met his.She sensed his uneasiness and drew back. Liam felt silly for his childishness, and he summoned the courage to face heads on whatever might have transpired between them.He opened his eyes widely and sat up on the gigantic bed; he looked over at Diane, who was batting her long lashes with a
Diane's heart thumped loudly in her chest as she got to Liam's secretary's table, a pretentiously pleasant woman who hated every stunning lady except herself. " Hello, Mrs Evelyn, is Li... the boss in?” she asked with a pleasant smile plastered on her face "Miss Donaldson, how are you today?" Evelyn responded warmly. "Very well, thank you”, Diane responded impatiently. "Do you have a prior appointment with him?" She asked. " I do?" Diane said, faking a painstaking emotion,” But it wasn't timed. I just need to see him urgently as he requested my presence, and I decided to see him over the lunch break," she added pleasantly despite feeling the opposite. " Okay, Miss Donaldson, I know we both work here, but I am sorry, I still need to follow the proper procedures. Give me a minute. Let me put a call through to him", Evelyn responded politely. " All fine, I will wait" She turned and eyed Evelyn maliciously; one day, she will see to her sack, she promised herself. Evelyn made her sh
Rissa closed her eyes dejectedly, she opened them again to be met with two glaring red lines on the test strip.She held the pregnancy strip with one hand and covered her agape mouth with the other, holding back her tearsShe had just had the worst three weeks of her life, and now, to cap it, she was expecting a stranger's baby." Rissa I am home!" Diane called out from the sitting room, Rissa's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly threw the test strip down the drain of the water closet and flushed it out completely.She hastily dabbed her teary eyes with cold water and dried it on the face towel “Toilet time, baby girl”, she responded, keeping her voice steady to avoid giving herself away.She adjusted her clothes and came out of the toilet smiling pleasantly at Diane " I can bet ten dollars you just had another great night" Rissa smiled pleasantly " You won the bet baby girl" Diane said smiling happily “Last night was great! The date and shopping Oh my God! I had so much fun" she
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