~Asher~***The first thing that caught my sight as Elena walked out of the airport was the gem bracelet wrapped around her wrist, the second thing was the bouquet. A smile found its way to my lips and it took a generous amount of my willpower to not jump in excitement.She probably still had no idea it was from me but I was excited Seeing her wear it. Since our disagreement, it was the first time Elena was accepting a gift from me. Well, technically she had no idea I was the gifter, but her acceptance was all that mattered to me. I figured she might not accept or wear the bracelet if she knew it was from me, so I kept my identity hidden, hoping she would wear it.And it worked.Tron swooped to get her luggage from her but Elena refused to let go and when she reached the car, which I was very sure she saw, she began walking past it and me.Without a moment of thinking, I stopped her, holding her wrist to cease her steps."Where are you going?" I asked, maintaining my smile. "I came to
~Elena~**I walked out of the Dean's office to see Sunny waiting in the hallway. Immediately she sighted me, she leaned off from the railing and waved."Hey," her face brightened with a wide smile and she signaled for me to come over."Hey, were you waiting here for me?" I asked.She nodded, "are you done? Let's head to class."We walked down the hallway to the staircase. "BTW, here. I got you something." She handed me a gift bag. "Congratulations.""What is this?""A gift! I told you I'd pick something out for you, I'm sorry this is all I can afford."My brows narrowed and my feet stopped. Sunny stopped too, facing me with a quizzical look."Why did you stop?" She asked, looking genuinely confused. Before I could speak, her eyes moved to my other hand and she picked it up, her eyes lighting up. "That's a pretty bracelet you've got, Elena! Did Asher get it for you?" She exclaimed, staring at my wrist.Asher? I was confused."It wasn't you who sent this?" I couldn't help but ask."Me?
***Bryan strolled into the coffee shop and took a seat by the window, looking despondent.He ordered for cappuccino and threw his head back, relieving his tired limbs.Night was slowly drawing in but he was yet to see her again.He wondered if his approach freaked her out hence she decided not to come to the library anymore.He should have been more thoughtful.It was only just yesterday when he encountered her but he was unable to get her out of his mind. Since his hunt, she was the first person who had given him this much familiarity with the little girl he was looking for. While she might not remember him after so many years, he had her in his mind the entire time.The similarity between them was uncanny.Could he be mistaken? They were only six when he separated from her but he still recognized her look. He tried not to forget it, hoping for the day he would meet her again.When it didn't occur naturally, Bryan deci
~Julia~***The moment I climbed off the bed, Ian opened his eyes. I ignored him and reached for my clothes, pulling them on piece by piece with a straight face."You're leaving?" He sat up, holding up my lace panties.With one reach, I swat it off his has and started to pull it on."What does it look like?" I retorted."Come on Julia, are you still mad at me? I thought the sex was makeup."I scoffed, "I only came here because you begged me to. The sex was a mistake.""Really? Because I remember you begging me not to stop. You came twice. Would you still call that a mistake?" He smirked."Look Ian I'm mad at you, okay? Just because we had sex doesn't mean we're cool. It doesn't mean that I've forgotten how you abandoned me in jail and refused my calls!""But I came back. I mean, we're both here right now.""Because you found out that I got out of jail too, isn't it? You would have left me there to rot if I had no one else on my side. I expected better from you, Ian.""I know, baby, I'
~Elena~***I was hanging out by the sea, my mind wandering away from the present with my body facing upwards to the sky. The peace that I was just starting to bask in was interrupted by the sound of my phone ringing.Sitting up on the recliner, I reached for it in one swat. It was an unknown number. I suspected it to be Julia's, lately, she had been the only one blowing up my phone with unnecessary calls, and most times, I ended up blocking every single one of those lines.Perfunctorily, I answered the call."Hello, this is Elena.""Lena, it's Bryan."My brows knitted. Lena? It's been so long since anyone referred to me with that name. At the orphanage, I was addressed by the name as most of the younger kids found it difficult to pronounce my name in full. Soon, all the other kids joined in calling me Lena.Only the adults called me differently, but sometimes they would address me as Lena too."Bryan," My brows knitted. The only Bryan I recall ever knowing was... I shook my head. The
~Asher~**My face hardened, my hand working on my monitor.Drew was seated opposite me, watching me with careful eyes as I burned with anger."So far, there is nothing suspicious. They're just talking and having coffee, they seem like friends," Tron continued. My fingers relaxed a bit but completely quenching the anger burning inside of me seemed impossible."Jake, you must fuckin hate your life!" I grumbled under my breath."It's a different guy, sir, not the Jake one. I've never seen him before." Tron added."Different?" My brows knitted. Elena was seeing another guy?"Yes. I got a clear picture of him now, I'll forward it to you right away."I stared at the oddly familiar face, trying to figure out where I had seen this person before. When I couldn't catch up, I passed the phone to Drew who only spent a minute in thought before figuring it out."Bryan Manchester, heir to the biggest law firm in Texas. His father once handled a case for one of my men over there, he's a big shot and
~Elena~***"I found her exact location. I saw her, Lena. Did you make up your mind yet?" Bryan asked.It's been three days since our last meeting but I was yet to discuss with Asher concerning him. It had been a while since Asher and I sat to have a conversation just between ourselves. The only time we conversed with each other within the past few days was when Grandpa Schaeffer invited us over for lunch.Asher wasn't trying to ignite a conversation between us anymore, I couldn't say he had given up but I suspected so. He was working a lot now, and I was torn between thinking it was intentional or believing it was natural."Not yet," I replied."She wants to meet you."A sad smile moved my lips. Now she cares about me after abandoning me for so long? I thought it was pathetic. No mother should be that ruthless to her own child."Lena," Bryan started softly, "I know what is running through your mind right now, but you can only get those answers from her, your mother."I sighed, "I kno
~Elena~***I opened my eyes to a bright light shining on my face. A few blinks fixed my discomfort and soon I adjusted to the ray of sunshine seeping from the opened window.I looked around the white room I was in and soon realized that I was in a hospital ward. The last place I remembered being in was in Asher's horrifying dungeon and the last sound I remembered was the sound of my scream as the door clicked shut and Asher stomped away.I tried to think of what happened after when the door went open and Flynn walked in."Thank goodness you're awake, ma'am," he said, looking relieved. "I was just about to contact the young master.""What happened?" I asked."I didn't know, we found you unconscious and brought you to the hospital. Thankfully, it's nothing serious."After Asher left, I suddenly felt nauseous being locked up in his dungeon. I couldn't help but wonder if he had locked anyone else in there in the past. The thought was horrifying. Was he always this kind of person?I wonde
***"Asher!" Grandpa Schaeffer exclaimed before pulling Asher in for a close hug. "Hey there, Elena," he passed her a slight smile.Elena accepted it, concluding that it was preferable to the other times when he completely ignored her presence.His eyes dropped to her stomach, and she watched his smile grow. He was fond of doing that, but wouldn't openly admit how he couldn't wait to hold his great grandkids in his arms."The babies are doing okay?" He asked, his smile dying as he brought his eyes up to her."They're fine," Elena smiled widely. Asher chuckled at his grandfather's effort to appear mean to Elena. He knew that he hadn't fully forgiven her for lying to them but he also knew that Schaeffer didn't hate her. Even before he found out about Elena's secret, he liked her a lot and praised her for taking care of his disabled son.This was their last get-together before Asher departed for his surgery. At the table, Ian's mother was already seated, looking like she wanted to be any
~Elena~***Her house was an apartment, with a simple bathroom and an ensuite. In her living room, a corner was demarcated with drapery as her kitchenette and another as her bedroom.In the room was a small unmade bed, and her sitting room, which was the largest part of the house, had a small TV, a radio, a fridge, and two sofas.Her eyes were on me right from the moment we walked in.Harold was already by her side and I saw how sick she was. Unnaturally, she looked lean. Staring at her, one could instantly tell that she used to be a chubby woman. She wore a cap and leaned on Harold's shoulder, but I could see that she didn't have any hair on her head. Her eyebrows were very thin, almost without any hair and her eyes looked tired even though she wore a smile. A beautiful smile."Elena," that was her first word to me and I noticed the similarity in our voices. She was a beautiful woman and I had physically taken after her. Asher's arm was around me, proving to me that he was always by
~Elena~***"You cheat!" I hit Asher in the chest, pouting my lips, "that's not fair."He giggled, reaching to peck me but I covered his lips with my palm, rejecting his kisses."That was the best one!" I complained, staring into the empty cookie bowl with a frown, "you're so childish.""Now, you're mad over a cookie?" He asked, holding my hands."You promised you'd give it to me, but you ate it. I can't forgive you," my hormones kicked in and I felt tears gathering in my eyes.That was my greatest defense and Asher immediately opened his fist to reveal the cookie. "I didn't eat it, I was just messing with you. Please don't cry." He looked utterly concerned. "I'm sorry, I was only kidding." He cupped my face, wiping my eyes.I threw the cookie into my mouth and pecked his face. "Got you.""You sneaky woman!" He grumbled, and we ended up laughing. His fingers worked on my legs, giving me the best massage while he called a maid to get us more cookies."By the way, Grandpa wants us to co
~Asher~***Over the next few months, Elena stayed by my side, doing her best to take care of me until I fully recovered. Our relationship had developed over time and in every aspect, and I was elated about it.Now, I could hold Elena without being afraid of the spite in her eyes when I looked at them, and she would assist me whenever I got tired due to my bedridden state. It was blissful. It was all I ever looked forward to since our misunderstanding.Elena had stepped out of my study room, leaving me and the gang to discuss. It was the first time we were having a meeting in my house, and they all had to come looking ordinary to avoid suspicions. It was also the first time we were collectively meeting since my discharge from the hospital."What did you find out?" I asked Ricky."D.H Entertainment exists but it belongs to Penelope's family. It's their biggest investment. She lied about the ownership, and acted like her job was at stake so she could get preferential treatment from you.
~Asher~***"Asher, can you see me?"I felt a light tug and then the voice came again, jerking me fully to consciousness."Oh my goodness, Asher! You're awake!" Footsteps followed.I recognized the face after a full minute of staring blankly at it, it was my grandfather."Grandpa," I mumbled and his face softened into a warm smile."That's right, son. It's me," he nodded, sobbing. "I'm so glad you're awake."I rolled my eyes, looking amongst the other people in the room for her but she was not there. I blinked and then tried again but I couldn't find her.I was sure that I saved her, I wouldn't have been able to go without ensuring her safety first. It was unlike me.Did I imagine it? I frowned the thought off. I definitely got her out!"Where is Elena?" I asked, bringing my gaze to rest on my grandfather. I asked him again when he said nothing."She's alive, right? I saved her. I'm sure that I saved her.""You did. She is alive." Richard spoke."Son, don't worry about her right now."
~Elena~***I stood outside the ICU ward where Asher was kept, staring at him through the window with tubes connected all over his body. I could faintly hear the sound of beeping machines.He looked so fragile and pale, not like the domineering and omnipotent Asher I knew that had overpowered me a number of times. He looked different, almost lifeless. The only source of life I saw in him was the many stuff connected to his body, the fact that they were still functioning proved that Asher was still in there fighting for his life.A pang of sorrow slashed my heart. Again, he sacrificed himself to save me. He discarded his own life to ensure I kept mine.If this was the first time it was happening, I probably would have concluded that he did it to save his baby's life, but it wasn't. I've never seen anyone care more about someone else's life than theirs, and I've never heard of anyone who performed such an act of kindness to someone they didn't care about.Can a man like that, who has ri
~Elena~**I sped towards the airport, my determination and anger soaring. Asher's action this time was inexcusable. How could he betray me with Julia knowing fully well what I thought of her?Even though I meant nothing to him, my sanity matters for his child to be safe. How could I successfully take care of our child, if my mental health wasn't guaranteed? This wasn't about me, but the child.Repeatedly, I dabbed tears from my eyes and sniffed but I didn't bother stopping or slowing down.Soon, I recognized Asher's car speeding up behind me. I expected this but there was no way he was going to convince me. My mind was made up this time and except Asher was willing to explain to the world how mentally disturbed he was, and how he locked me up in a dungeon, or how he ceased my freedom, he better not try to stop me.His car was giving me a hot chase and although I wasn't a very experienced driver, I tried to outrun him. I swerved in between cars and gave him no chance to directly get t
~Julia's POV~***His hands groped my waist as he pressed the upper part of my body into the bed, I arched my back for his comfort. I felt his thigh against my behind as he slid into me again, jerking me up to deepen his entrance. He grunted and paced up at the same time, riding me with a slow then successive pace.His fingers dug into the skin of my waist as he prepared to release, his body vibrating against mine.I smirked as the pleasure wavered off, glancing at the camera I had installed in the corner of the room unbeknownst to him. Ian was too carried away with the pleasure to even notice what I had done and I doubt he would have even suspected that I could do something like this.I just couldn't let Elena be. I've got to try out all my cards first before I decide if I should give up, trying to destroy her marriage, or not. I had thought the fabricated pictures were enough to break her and Asher up or cause a deep rift but instead, she came out pregnant.They had been fuckin whil
~Elena~***I opened my eyes to a bright light shining on my face. A few blinks fixed my discomfort and soon I adjusted to the ray of sunshine seeping from the opened window.I looked around the white room I was in and soon realized that I was in a hospital ward. The last place I remembered being in was in Asher's horrifying dungeon and the last sound I remembered was the sound of my scream as the door clicked shut and Asher stomped away.I tried to think of what happened after when the door went open and Flynn walked in."Thank goodness you're awake, ma'am," he said, looking relieved. "I was just about to contact the young master.""What happened?" I asked."I didn't know, we found you unconscious and brought you to the hospital. Thankfully, it's nothing serious."After Asher left, I suddenly felt nauseous being locked up in his dungeon. I couldn't help but wonder if he had locked anyone else in there in the past. The thought was horrifying. Was he always this kind of person?I wonde