Lucian’s POVMy fingers trembled slightly as I fast-forwarded through the CCTV footage, scanning each second with sharp focus. The tension in the room was suffocating, the only sounds being the low hum of the computer and the occasional sharp intake of my breath. My eyes burned from staring too long at the screen, but I couldn’t afford to blink—not until I found something.And then I did.Vanessa appeared on the screen, emerging from the restroom. Her posture was relaxed, unaware of the impending danger.Then her phone rang.I watched as she pulled it out of her purse, answering with a quick swipe. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but her reaction was immediate—her brows lifted in surprise, then a slow, eager smile spread across her face. Whatever was being told to her, it excited her.Then, without hesitation, she turned and started walking.My pulse spiked as I tracked her movements. She wasn’t heading back to the party—she was heading toward the exit.“Where the hell are you g
Lucian’s POV“Brenda! Brenda, please!”My voice was hoarse, raw with desperation as I cradled her limp body against me. The warmth of her blood seeped into my clothes, sticky and thick, a constant reminder that she was slipping away. My heart pounded in my chest, my breaths ragged as I shook her lightly, willing her to open her eyes, to say something—anything.Tears burned at the edges of my vision, but I refused to let them fall.I couldn’t lose her.I wouldn’t lose her.“Damn it, Brenda, stay with me!” My voice cracked as I pulled her closer. “Don’t do this—don’t you dare leave me like this.”She didn’t respond.A strangled sob tore from my throat, and I pressed my forehead against hers, murmuring broken pleas against her skin. My entire body trembled as panic surged through me, drowning out all rational thought.I had to get her to a hospital.Now.With a deep breath, I swallowed the fear choking me and gathered her in my arms, staggering to my feet. Sweat dripped down my temples
Brenda's POV The living room brimmed with friends who had turned up for Ralph's birthday party, the clinking of glasses, hearty chatter, and background music adding to the liveliness. From cutting the cake to making a toast, as a good girlfriend should be, I was right beside him through the whole process. It was a happy moment and I was supposed to be happy and totally unbothered. Well, I was happy—for him at least. But despite the celebration, I couldn't help the unusual clumsiness that descended on me tonight. I grabbed a drink and started refilling my cup. I was staring into vacancy, but the subconscious part of me noticed the silence that suddenly ensued at the table. Everyone was looking at me like I were some alien now, and I didn't realize what I was doing wrong until Ralph's voice cut through the silence like a sharp knife. “Babe! What are you doing? The cup is full.” Only then did I realize that I had been pouring the drink absentmindedly. It had filled
Brenda's POVI sat in the cab and watched the cab driver speed up as I had instructed, my mind a swirling tempest of disappointment, rage, and fear.My eyes stung with the unshed tears I was making so much effort not to let out. I couldn't bring myself to bawl my eyes out and make the driver look at me as though I were a baby who just lost her candy. The more I tried to get Ralph's betrayal off my mind and focus on getting to Dad early, the more my mind drifted to that annoying scene. “Brenda, wait. It's not what you think.”Those were the words that came out of that bastard’s mouth when I grabbed my phone and stormed out of his room.To think he was bi-asexual in the first place and that he was still telling me that it wasn't what I thought despite what I saw, he must've taken me for a complete fool. There was absolutely no amount of explanation that would justify his action or make me disbelieve what I saw back there.My heart seemed to clench at the thought that I almost allowe
Brenda's POV I had just survived a ghastly car accident, though I couldn’t decide if it was a blessing or just life prolonging my torment. The driver, intoxicated and speeding, lost the cop chasing us, but the car tumbled twice. I escaped with minor scratches, but the two men in the car were covered in blood. I didn’t even check if they were alive—I couldn't afford the cop to catch up with me.I crawled out of the overturned car and sprinted into an alley, stopping only when I saw the gate of a mansion opening for a luxurious vehicle. Hearing the police siren growing louder, I slipped into the compound unnoticed behind the car.I hid in the shadows and watched as a man with an aura of authority stepped out. Suddenly, he turned in my direction and barked, “Step outside now!”Trembling, I emerged with my hands raised. His stern voice demanded, “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” At first, I didn't know where to start, but with another shout from him, I nervously explained
Brenda's POV The moment Vanessa stopped her dad from calling the police on me, albeit I felt a pang of relief, I knew she was up to something.“Are you sure you don't want me to report her to the police?” Mr. Grayson asked, his face mirroring the surprised look of his wife. “Yes father, I will teach her a lesson myself. Trust me to handle her.” Vanessa replied. Vanessa's smirk was enough to tell that she was trying to frame me for something I didn't do. But just as I had expected, her parents pretended they didn't see it. They were birds of the same feathers, after all, so I shouldn't expect less cruelty from them. Her mum looked unsatisfied. “And what penance do you intend to give to her which she won't get in the police custody?”“First, she can't leave this house until she pays for this expensive glass cup that she broke,’’ the spoiled brat answered.“I didn't didn't break that, you...” I tried to protest, but a sudden resounding slap across my face killed the last word left f
Lucian's POVWhen my gaze met Vanessa's, I didn't know what to make of the anger and jealousy that I saw in her eyes. For a moment, I wondered when Vanessa started getting jealous, seeing me with other women. I would have sworn that she was just up to her usual shenanigans, but I was flabbergasted at how that anger and jealousy in her eyes looked so real. After embracing the hell out of me earlier, she had left me briefly to say hello to another man who she must have known from somewhere else.Vanessa and I were just friends, so I didn't see anything wrong with that. I didn't even feel a pang of jealousy as she smiled before the man, who was also wearing a small mask. My parents had not only been pressuring me to get married soon. Like I was a fool who couldn't make decisions for himself, they had decided that I'd get married to Vanessa.I had always considered their resolve and determination a silly joke that was worth laughing over. First, I wasn't ready to get married. Second,
Lucian's POVFor a moment, Vanessa and I stood frozen, our gazes locked on each other.She wasn't standing fully upright yet, and I could feel her heartbeat going wild against her ribcage as I held her.We had never found ourselves in such proximity before, and if I wasn't just as shocked as she was, I would have wondered why she chose to remain in that uncomfortable posture rather than helping herself stand fully upright.Her breath was still fanning my face, and our lips remained so close when it clicked in my head again that we were the center of attention.Just when I was about to help Vanessa stand fully upright, her voice stopped me.“Lucian,” she swallowed.Before I could respond, three powerful words escaped her mouth:“I love you!”Those words rolled out of her mouth with such momentum that I failed to catch them until she repeated herself even more clearly.“I love you, Lucian! I always have.”Yet again, her words held me spellbound, and as if that wasn't enough, she closed
Lucian’s POV“Brenda! Brenda, please!”My voice was hoarse, raw with desperation as I cradled her limp body against me. The warmth of her blood seeped into my clothes, sticky and thick, a constant reminder that she was slipping away. My heart pounded in my chest, my breaths ragged as I shook her lightly, willing her to open her eyes, to say something—anything.Tears burned at the edges of my vision, but I refused to let them fall.I couldn’t lose her.I wouldn’t lose her.“Damn it, Brenda, stay with me!” My voice cracked as I pulled her closer. “Don’t do this—don’t you dare leave me like this.”She didn’t respond.A strangled sob tore from my throat, and I pressed my forehead against hers, murmuring broken pleas against her skin. My entire body trembled as panic surged through me, drowning out all rational thought.I had to get her to a hospital.Now.With a deep breath, I swallowed the fear choking me and gathered her in my arms, staggering to my feet. Sweat dripped down my temples
Lucian’s POVMy fingers trembled slightly as I fast-forwarded through the CCTV footage, scanning each second with sharp focus. The tension in the room was suffocating, the only sounds being the low hum of the computer and the occasional sharp intake of my breath. My eyes burned from staring too long at the screen, but I couldn’t afford to blink—not until I found something.And then I did.Vanessa appeared on the screen, emerging from the restroom. Her posture was relaxed, unaware of the impending danger.Then her phone rang.I watched as she pulled it out of her purse, answering with a quick swipe. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but her reaction was immediate—her brows lifted in surprise, then a slow, eager smile spread across her face. Whatever was being told to her, it excited her.Then, without hesitation, she turned and started walking.My pulse spiked as I tracked her movements. She wasn’t heading back to the party—she was heading toward the exit.“Where the hell are you g
Lucian’s POVIt had been five weeks since Vanessa was released and reunited with her sister and mother. Five weeks since the dust began to settle, since the chaos that once tore through all our lives finally started to fade into something resembling peace.In those five weeks, everything had changed.My father had been sentenced to ten years in prison, a fate that somehow felt both too lenient and just enough. Meanwhile, Grayson had received life imprisonment—a fitting end for a man who had thrived on destruction.But justice didn't stop there.Since Grayson had stolen Miller’s capital—money meant for Mrs. Elizabeth’s fashion design business—along with her entire business idea, the court had ruled that the business rightfully belonged to her. The legal process to transfer ownership back to her was still ongoing, but soon, she would finally reclaim what had always been hers.Yes, a lot had changed.And as I sat on the couch, lazily scrolling through my phone, I couldn’t help but feel a
Vanessa’s POVThe past few days had been nothing short of a nightmare—a slow, painful unraveling of everything I thought I knew about myself.I had always carried myself with an air of superiority, proud of the wealth and power that surrounded me, believing I was untouchable. But now… now, I was nothing. A nobody.The moment Grayson had looked me in the eye and coldly told me that I wasn’t his real daughter, my entire world came crashing down. The man I had spent my entire life seeking validation from, the one I had desperately tried to impress, had never even considered me his own.I was just an adopted child.The words had cut deeper than I could have ever imagined.And if that wasn’t enough, yesterday’s revelation had struck the final blow—the one that shattered me completely.Officer Smith had walked into this cell, looked me dead in the eye, and delivered a truth so painful I had struggled to breathe.Brenda.Brenda, the woman I had despised with every fiber of my being. The wom
Brenda’s POVThe air in the hospital room remained thick with tension, the weight of Officer Smith’s revelation still settling over us. Grayson had been the one to order my father’s murder. The thought alone sent another wave of cold rage through me, but before I could fully process it, Officer Smith’s gaze suddenly shifted.I noticed how his eyes moved—from Mrs. Elizabeth to me, then back to her again. A slow, almost knowing smile spread across his face, and I felt a strange sense of unease rise within me.“What is it?” Lucian asked, his brows furrowing slightly.Officer Smith finally spoke, his voice carrying a kind of anticipation that made my heart pound faster.“Mrs. Elizabeth,” he began, his eyes flickering between the both of us again. “It would interest you to know that Brenda—seated right here—is your biological daughter.”The words hit me like a slap.I felt my body jolt slightly as I blinked rapidly, my mind trying to process what I had just heard. My mouth parted slightly,
Brenda's POVI couldn’t just blurt it out.Not like this.Not when Mrs. Elizabeth had only just regained her memory, not when she was still fragile from years of lost time. I feared that the shock might be too much for her, that her body—already weakened from everything she had endured—might not be able to handle the pain of this truth.But she wasn’t going to stop asking.Her panicked eyes searched mine, pleading for an answer I didn’t want to give. The desperation in her voice clawed at my heart.So I did the only thing I could.I stepped closer, lowering myself beside her hospital bed.Her breath hitched as she looked up at me, hope flickering in her gaze, waiting for me to say that everything was fine—that Miller was alive and well, waiting somewhere for her.But I couldn’t give her that.I swallowed hard, my throat tight with emotion, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.I didn’t say a word.I didn’t have to.The moment my fingers squeezed lightly, the warmth of my touch mea
Brenda's POVThe hospital room erupted into chaos.A mix of confusion, disbelief, and an overwhelming sense of unease swept over me as I tried to process what had just happened. My heart pounded so loudly in my chest that it almost drowned out the voices around me.I turned sharply to Lucian, my mind racing. “How—” The words barely left my lips before Officer Smith stepped forward, cutting me off with a firm but curious tone.“How did you know that name?” Officer Smith asked Lucian, his eyes narrowing. “How did you know Miller George was her husband?”Lucian exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face as if deciding how best to explain what he knew. His expression was serious—more serious than I had ever seen it.“I overheard it,” Lucian admitted. “Back when Grayson and his father were arguing. They mentioned his name.”My breath hitched. “What?”Lucian nodded, his eyes flickering to me before returning to Officer Smith. “I didn’t think much of it at the time,” he continued, “but from what
Brenda’s POVAs Lucian turned the knob and swung the door open, the sight of Officer Smith standing there sent a ripple of surprise through the room.A thick silence settled as everyone took in his unexpected presence. Mrs. Elizabeth shifted slightly in her seat, her expression puzzled. I could sense Lucian stiffen beside me, his sharp eyes scanning the officer as if trying to gauge the reason behind his visit."Good evening," Officer Smith greeted, his voice even but carrying an air of urgency. His gaze flickered over everyone before finally settling on me. "Ms. Brenda, Mr. Lucian, I see I’ve come at the right time."A tight knot formed in my stomach. Why was he here? How did he even find us? My fingers clenched slightly at my sides as my mind raced with possible reasons. Was it about the investigation? Had something happened? Was it bad news?"If you’re wondering how I found you," he continued as if reading the unspoken questions in our eyes, "I went to your house first, Ms. Brenda.
Brenda's POVMrs. Elizabeth’s tears flowed freely, her shoulders quivering slightly as the weight of her words settled over us like a thick, suffocating fog. I sat frozen, trying to grasp the depth of what she had just revealed. She had been pregnant… with twin girls.Twin girls.My heart pounded in my chest. I could barely breathe as she continued speaking through her sobs."I had no choice but to leave my husband," she murmured, her voice raw with pain. "I was terrified. I thought I was protecting him… protecting myself. I didn’t even tell him I was carrying his children."Lucian sat motionless beside me, his usually sharp and composed features softened by an emotion I couldn’t quite place. His hand curled into a tight fist against his thigh, his knuckles turning white."I gave birth alone," Mrs. Elizabeth went on, her gaze distant, as if she was reliving those painful memories. "Two beautiful girls… my little angels. I raised them myself. It wasn’t easy, but I tried. I did everythi