060 JOANA'S POV The way he said my name sent shivers down my spine. It was cool, soft like he was trying to tell me something from the tone of his voice. I gazed into his eyes deeply. It felt like a spell was cast upon me because I was too immersed in his sight. “Joana…” Caleb cut me out of my trance, “huh?” “Tell him not to pick the kids. After all, he said, "You have the final say,” I chuckled at Caleb's jealousy and over-protectiveness. “Unfortunately, I can't. I already promised him, so I can't go back on my words, and you saw how the kids are always clingy to him, so my dear, I have the lower hand here.” Clinton snickered, “Oh well, I guess I need to get the car ready, Caleb. I won't mind you joining us. At least they would have their uncle around.” It was kind of funny seeing these two bicker, I had honestly forgotten about the situation that I was under. For a minute, I hoped my life was as peaceful as this meeting. What if I and Clinton never had any issues
061JOANA'S POVLouisa launched towards me but was stopped by Caleb, “The only reason I haven't beaten you up to a pulp is because you're a lady; don't try me.”Caleb growled as I chuckled lightly. Louisa, fuming with rage, ran to Clinton's side, but Clinton removed her hand from him.“Are you really doing this to me?” She yelled angrily.“You caused it. Besides, when will you stop ruining yourself? You're an adult. Act like one.”Clinton pushed her aside and walked to me. She screamed loudly, drawing attention to her.“Joana, mark my words, you will pay for all these, I promise you.” She picked up herself and left the place with her supposed minions.“How do you survive with this girl all the time?” Caleb scoffed, heading to his car.I chuckled softly, heading to Clinton. He tried to open the door for me, but I stopped him, “I agreed to ride with you. It doesn't mean I'll let you do all these shitty things.”Clinton's face turned cold. I don't know what he was expecting, but I hoped
062JOANA'S POVClinton stopped talking. He was quite shocked by my behaviour, but I honestly don't blame him.“Funny how the old Joana couldn't say half of all you are saying,” he finally spoke up with a tiny smirk plastered on his face.I opened the door slightly. “Funny, right? Because the old Joana is dead.”I alighted from the car, walking slowly to pick up the kids when I saw my kids bowing their heads and a woman flaring with anger.Mirabel slightly raised her head and saw me immediately, Mommy…”I rushed to her, confused about the whole situation.“So you're the mother who can't train her children properly?” I raised a brow at the lady opposite me.Her son was standing by her side, I noticed my boys refusing to look at me even when I had arrived.“Japheth, Jake, I want you to raise your heads now,” I said in a commanding tone as they finally lifted up their heads.My boys had a black eye, and my sons had a freaking black eye.“Can somebody explain why on earth my boys have a b
063JOANA'S POVI sighed deeply, entering the car, Japheth and Jake still had a long face while Mirabel tried to make them smile.“Don't put on such a long face; see, we're finally in Daddy's car,” Mirabel tried her best to cheer them up.Clinton shook his head, sighing, starting up the engine, and heading to the ice cream parlour.“Japheth… Jake, cheer up, remember I promised you ice cream, so if you don't smile, I'm turning this car back home.”The boys slowly raised their heads, putting up a small weak smile. They were still devastated, but I wanted to teach them a lesson.Nothing should ever make them throw their fists no matter the age they were.“Those are not genuine smiles, okay, I'm turning the wheels,” he made a fake turn, and the boys quickly shook him.“We're smiling; don't go back on your promise,” I was about to scold them for their tantrums, but Clinton gave me a glare.“Alright… you win, ice cream here we come,” Clinton cheered loudly.I didn't like the fact that the k
064JOANA'S POV“Mirabel…”My mother instinct kicked in, and I rushed to the sound. Mirabel was seriously crying; then I noticed that Japheth was missing, and Jake was removing some balls while crying.“He pushed Japheth,” she pointed to a boy who was hiding behind his mother. A tall man pushed them behind him.“Stop accusing my boy,” he growled at my girl. Clinton rushed him, grabbing him by the collar.“If anything happens to my own boy, today would be the last day you would see life,” he threatened.Caleb managed to bring Japheth. He was struggling to breathe properly.“Why wasn't your kid under parent supervision?” The man tried to defend his child.“Since your child was under parental supervision, why didn't you stop him? Oh wait, he's a child of a bully.”The man wanted to punch him, but Clinton dodged, folding his hand behind his back.“The dog who barks the most can't bite,” he pushed him away, “who's the manager of this place? I want the camera footage of this place asap, or
065JOANA'S POVWe arrived at the hospital as the kids waited with Caleb and Clinton, and I went into the doctor's office.“Luckily, there's nothing wrong with Japheth. Everything seems to be okay. He's a strong boy.”The doctor smiled, passing the documents to me and Clinton, “Doc, are you sure? It took us some time for us to get him out of the ball pit.”“The pit was truly deep, but there were no pressures on him, so thankfully, there are no internal injuries.”I let out a sigh of relief as we headed back to meet the others. Clinton got a phone call and excused himself.We headed to the parking lot when Clinton rushed to me, “I'm sorry, I won't be able to drop you and the kids off; I have an emergency.”He bent to the size of the kids, “Hey guys, Daddy is really sorry, but I can't drop you guys off. I promise to take you to school tomorrow.”“Pinky promise,” they stretched out their pinky finger to their father, who smiled and snuck his bigger finger pecked their foreheads and left
066JOANA'S POV“YOU SAID YOU HAD AN ACCIDENT, BUT ONLY FEW SCRATCHES!!!”Clinton quickly pointed out, his face cold with no expression on his father.“I… I didn't get into a nasty accident, just a mild one, that's why I have a few scratches,” she defended herself calmly.“And you fainted for over an hour,” Clinton attacked her again.She was trying her best to stay calm, but Clinton wasn't going to let her.“Clinton… you need to calm down, we should thank the heavens that she is safe and didn't get into a nasty accident. You would have blamed yourself for life.”I reasoned with him calmly that Anita may be smart, but she should learn how to cover her trails properly.One thing I have learnt so far about Clinton was that he hated being deceived.“I'm sorry… it was just too much for me to handle. Truly, I would have hated myself if anything should happen to you.”Anita smiled softly, “It's fine…” She darted her gaze in my direction. It was stern and deadly but still held an innocent lo
067JOANA'S POVCaleb wasn't happy that I was toying with his brains. He had no idea what I was talking about.“If she didn't have the child, then she would be panicking, but she's awfully calm,” Caleb asked, genuinely confused.I chuckled softly, “That's her facade, something she had been building for a long time,” I let out a tired yawn.“I need to head to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day in this house.”Caleb nodded softly, “Good night, have a good sleep.”Caleb slowly closed the door behind him. I slowly tucked myself, and a soft chuckle escaped my lips; Anita had been on top of this game for too long.It was time to make a triumphant return. Would I use my knight or play the games with my pawns?*I slowly flickered my eyes open, reaching out for my phone. It was barely 6am, I was hit with a terrible headache, and I needed some painkillers.Pushing Mirabel softly to the side, I made my way to the kitchen to make some warm lemon tea.I got closer to the kitchen when I heard
116JOANA'S POVThe phone shot against the wall, and the bang of the glass against the wall greeted my ear; my ear filled with the chaos of my chest. I watched the broken pieces, and my hands trembled with rage and rage, swelling inside me like a violent storm. Everything about this felt wrong. It didn’t make sense. Anita—trying to take her own life? Why now? Why after everything?My door swung open with a thud. Caleb entered first, closely followed by Clinton, both of them visibly shaken. They must have already heard."Joana—" Clinton's voice was low, cautious.I didn’t answer. I simply walked to the window, wrapping my arms around myself as though they could shield me from this madness.Caleb spoke up, his voice more urgent. “We heard. It’s true, right?”I gave a small nod, still facing the window. “She tried to end her life. They found her unconscious in her cell. They rushed her to the hospital.”The room fell into a heavy silence. The kind that suffocates you slowly.Clinton fina
115JOANA'S POVCaleb didn’t speak much during the drive back. He must have known that I was trying to hang onto that last hint of calm I had. There was a soft hum of the engine, a sparse chirp of birds, and a gentle rustle of the wind in the trees between us, and we sat in a peaceful silence marked by this fragile truce.My cheek turned to the warm sun of the late afternoon leaning my head against the window. I was not ready to go home. Not really. I was also not ready to be anywhere else. All I had to do was breathe and again remind myself that even if the world was crumbling under my heels, the ground was yet to give way.The open window filled the car with the sound of laughter as Caleb pulled into the driveway. A laughter that brought me out of my thoughts right away.Caleb glanced at me, "they sound happy," he said quietly.I tried to smile. It came crooked, though, "they don’t know half of what’s going on."I opened the door and stepped out of the car. I stood there for a secon
114JOANA'S POVThe meeting room was colder than usual.Maybe it was just me. Perhaps it was the weight of the tonnage on my shoulders. I stepped inside, my heels clicking on the marble floor in an attempt to wear the mask of composure I had practised for years. Mr. Stone was already seated next to his legal advisor, and I could tell his smug grin meant he was up to something.I hated dealing with people like this, but I honestly had no choice."Good morning, Joana," Mr. Stone greeted, voice as smooth as his tailored suit."Mr. Stone," I replied curtly, taking my seat across from him.The Blue Heart jewellery redesign presentation was neatly set up on the screen behind him. The sketches looked impressive, and I had to give credit to the design team. It was meant to be a re-launch, a symbol of rebirth after the chaos, and it had to be perfect. But something about Mr Stone’s too-relaxed demeanour made my instincts scream."We’ve all seen the mock-ups and the numbers," he started, claspi
113JOANA’S POVMy words brought smiles to his face, and he suddenly became calm. “Thank you,” it softly escaped his lips, “you won't regret it.”“You better don't,” I muttered under my breath, returning back to work when a soft ding erupted the soothing silence.“The court hearing has been scheduled for the 20th.”The whole world stopped. It felt like the walls were compressing as my eyes widened and my fingers trembled at the sight of the text.I squeezed the paper underneath my fingertips, closed the phone screen, and ran my fingers through my hair.Clinton had noticed it, “what's wrong?” He asked calmly.“The kids' birthday celebration will have to be moved.”He furrowed his brows, obviously confused, “what are you talking about? There's no way we are shifting the celebration.”“The court hearing is fixed for that day, and there's nothing we can do about it.”It felt like the world came crashing down for him. His expression immediately changed.“We can always celebrate it the nex
112JOANA’S POVI left the station with solely one thought in my mind: how do I make sure that Jason doesn't serve too much jail time?He didn't deserve it; I know that the sergeant was working on it, but honestly, I knew it was far from being possible.I got cut from my trance when my phone started ringing. It was Caleb.“Hello…” I picked up.“Where are you?” He tried his best to sound as calm as possible, but it didn't work well.“I'm at the station heading to the office to do one or two things.”“Why were you at the station? Don't tell me you went to see Anita?”I walked to my car, “technically I didn't.”“Joana…”I rolled my eyes, “Fine I went to see her, but I didn't spite her up, but a little though,”“She's not in jail yet, but she's still very dangerous, and I can't risk anything.”“Caleb, you need to calm down, I just wanted to see her current situation and also check up on Jason.”“I should calm down? Have you forgotten the way that girl thinks? She's like a ticking bomb and
111JOANA'S POVThe soft ding of my phone got my attention. It was text.“Mission complete.”I stared blankly at the screen. Who was this person? My mind quickly went to Jason.“Jason…”Caleb and Clinton both turned to me, “What are you talking about?” Caleb finally spoke out.“The person behind the shadows was Jason,” I let out a small laugh.“How? He's in jail!” Caleb pointed out.I strode to sit on the couch, a victorious grin on my face, “Yeah, he is, but remember the secret agency he's in.”“The same agency that tried to kill him for exposing Anita…” he scoffed, “I highly doubt, maybe it's someone that also wants Anita gone.”I darted my gaze slowly to him, “apart from me, who else wants her gone? Trust me, my guts tell me that Jason did this.”The two men shook their heads and headed into their rooms.Playing with the tip of the pen, I pointed to the huge clock, “tick-tock Anita… this time, your time is up.”__The car ride was silent, a soothing silence enjoying the cool breeze
110JOANA'S POVThey had no shame.The confrontation had been explosive. Mr. Gates hadn’t denied it. He’d simply claimed that family should protect family—and Anita had sat smugly beside him, like a queen regaining her throne.She barely looked my way, but I felt her satisfaction and tasted it in the air like poison.Clinton finally turned from the desk. “You used your influence to override hard evidence. You know what she did. You saw the recordings. Heard the confession.”Mr. Gates didn’t flinch. “Evidence can be manipulated, Clinton. I don’t trust the words of men like Jason.”“You don’t trust facts,” Caleb spat. “You trust whatever keeps your family name clean. What kind of legacy are you trying to protect when it’s rotting from the inside?”Mr. Gates rose from his chair slowly, placing both hands on his cane. “You may not understand it now, Caleb. But one day, when you have your own family to lead, you’ll realize that loyalty matters more than any public trial.”I had enough. “Lo
109JOANA'S POVSunlight from the arched windows entered the mansion and formed wide bands across the marble floors. I took my place on the living room sofa with a straight posture and crossed legs while I touched my tablet in silence. Instead of reading the screen, my eyes focused on distant mental work. The house stood at peace before violence broke out.The front doors opened.Footsteps echoed.Clinton and Caleb walked in together, dressed in work suits, loosened ties around their necks, carrying the usual exhaustion of a day at the office. But the moment they saw me, they stopped.I didn’t rise to greet them. Didn’t even look up."Joana?" Clinton said, his voice tinged with caution.I slowly looked up. My eyes were expressionless. Not angry. Not hurt. Not welcoming. Just... still. Stone still.Caleb moved forward first. "Is everything okay? Where are the kids?""Asleep. Upstairs. Safe," I replied, my tone flat.Clinton moved towards me from the couch to reach my position, where he
108JOANA'S POVThe mansion stood as an unspoken silent question without any reaction. As soon as Jason parked the car, he sped the tyres toward the garage, and before the engine idled, I bolted from my side to rush through the mansion's main entrance.I directed the security staff posted at the gate to inspect the area thoroughly. “Check the east and west wings—every single room. I want the kids found. Now.”The main door flew open under my hand as I stormed inside. “Where are they? Where are my children?”The maids inside froze at the sound of my voice, but one of them stepped forward immediately, wide-eyed. “We—We don’t know, ma’am. We thought they were in the greenhouse—”“Check the gardens, the poolside, the library, everywhere!” I snapped. My voice was cracking under the weight of my panic. “Clinton? Caleb?”One of the male workers appeared at the top of the staircase. “Mr. Clinton left early this morning. He said he had to meet a supplier downtown. And Mr. Caleb hasn’t returned