Hillwood Estate looked the same like it had always been all those times she'd visited, but it was different this time. She was not alone. Edmund had been serious about bringing Dre over to his house to work for him and Dre, on the other hand, seemed elated.The only person that was still confused about how quickly things had played out was Emily. How had Dre pulled this off? She'd wanted to ask her to tell her everything that had transpired between herself and Edmund while she was gone but the opportunity had just not presented itself yet.In fact, it seemed as if Dre was avoiding her. But why? She knew she had no right to be angry if Edmund suddenly liked Dre. Liked? Did she just say 'like?' Did Edmund like Dre or anyone for that matter? That, she did not know.It was easier to think that this was just a work thing and that Edmund had no emotions for anybody, but as the evening wore on, Emily began to doubt her thoughts. Her instincts said a different thing, one she did not like at a
Jason Campbell did a 360° turn on the executive chair that he was sitting on. He was bored to hell. It had been more than twenty minutes since Amy Johnson, Mr. Peterson's secretary had led him into his office and since then, he'd not shown his face until now. Amy Johnson said he'd gone to a meeting and would not be back until at least ten minutes later. This was longer than ten minutes and he was still not back. He wondered how much longer he'd have to wait before he returned. The door creaked open at once and Jason's head snapped backwards just in time to catch Mr. Peterson breezing in. He held a briefcase in one hand and a stack of files in the other hand. He looked tired and worn out, with perspiration gathering on his forehead. And it was just barely 11 am. Amy trotted behind him. She stood by his side and he addressed her for less than a minute. She nodded and turned to leave the two men alone. "Good morning, Sir," Jason said as the door closed, giving them privacy. "Good mo
Charlotte Baker felt her heart summersault as she waited for what was coming. This was the moment she'd been waiting for; the moment of truth. In less than a few minutes, depending on how eager Randall Harrington was to get the news off his chest, she would finally know whether she was right or wrong to suspect Emily of any foul play.Detective Harrington cleared his throat."You know, at first, I thought it odd that the billionaire daughter of Gary Peterson had to work to earn a living, but I couldn't look into it because well," he shrugged. "It wasn't my business. "It only became my business after you asked me to look into it. And all I can say is that it's not what it looks like."Charlotte was becoming impatient."Just cut to the chase already, will you?"He did."I found out from Amy Johnson, Mr. Peterson's secretary that SkyNet is going bankrupt."Charlotte sat up, her eyes flickering as the news hit her."So, that's it! That's why she's working to make a living. Emily, I mean."
Quickly, he ran outside like a madman, anxious and worried about what might have happened, why she'd left without saying a word to him. Had he been so terrible in bed? Was she disgusted by the sight of him?Unfortunately, there was no one to answer his questions, no one to assure him that none of these was his fault or that everything was in fact, his fault.He dreaded the way he felt. Useless. Unwanted. Discarded. He'd been with tons of women all his life and no one had ever made him feel unwanted. He'd always boasted about his prowess with his friends. Yet, one woman had just broken his record and made him feel unworthy of her.The air outside was chilly. The warmth of the sun was just beginning to disperse the cold in the air. There was no sign of Charlotte, no sign that she'd ever been there, just the stares from his neighbors as they moved about their day.He soon deduced what the awkward stares they were giving him were about. He'd gone out of his house with just a pair of short
They strolled through the sitting room down to the lobby where Mrs. Gina Hamilton finally let go of her hand and busied herself with trying to find the right linen cloth among a bundle of them just laying by the corner.Emily could already guess what it was for. Probably for the dinner table. But wasn't it a little too late for that? If Edmund's father was already seated at the dinner table, then this wasn't the time to start looking for linen clothes to lay over the table.Nevertheless, she did not worry Mrs. Hamilton with her worries. She was in the midst of affluence. It was evident with the pieces of ancient artwork surrounding her and the air of aristocracy that Mrs. Hamilton carried.She tried to think about Jason's mother, Mrs. Wendy Campbell and compare her with Edmund's mother. But comparing the two women together was like comparing salt and water.While Jason's mother was proud and haughty, Edmund's mother was the exact opposite of her. She had a kind, warm smile that melted
The moon was just disappearing under the thick folds of the dark clouds when Emily bid Edmund's parents farewell. They were wonderful hosts.Even though it wasn't actually part of the plan, Emily had found herself becoming relaxed in their presence and talking with them like they'd known each other for ages.Mrs. Hamilton had then used her charms to convince her to pay them a visit soon. And there it was; another dinner scheduled for sometime soon.She wasn't sure Edmund was particularly pleased with his mother's decision, but he was all smiles throughout the dinner. Whatever he felt inside of him, it would have to wait until they were together alone again. The limousine arrived immediately after the dinner. Edmund held the car open for her to enter just as he'd done when they arrived, amidst the approving nods from his parents who stood not too far away watching the love birds part together.He jumped into the back seat with her and the limousine drove into the road. They sat in sil
The night was unusually long. Edmund rose at the first light of day. He could barely think straight. What was the meaning of the note from Charlotte? Was she pregnant? But how?He stormed into Charlotte's quarters very early in the morning. Not his fault. Had she answered her phone all night when he was trying to reach her, he wouldn't need to disturb her so early in the day.But then again, she deserved it. She couldn't just drop such a bombshell and hope to disappear while he lived in turmoil.He stood by the door and pounded angry fists on the door. No response. Becoming more angry, he pounded even more persistently on the door.At last, he heard the key turning behind the door. It flung open. A sleepy-eyed Charlotte was standing behind it. She gave him a questioning look.Edmund wasted no time in asking the most probing question first."What the hell is the meaning of this, Charlotte?" He demanded, flinging the piece of paper in her face."Good morning to you too, Edmund," she sai
What was I thinking? Ronnie asked himself. He'd meant to tell Dre everything someday, not anytime soon. And right now, watching her face him, her eyes round as saucers, demanding the truth from him almost made him puke.At first, she'd tried to ignore the obvious fact that she was glowing when she entered his house this morning, which was surprising. Surprising because lately, they'd not really had enough time for each other, or at least he did not have enough time for her.He was either stuck at work trying to work hard enough to impress Edmund into giving him a raise or promotion like he promised or seated before his laptop, typing ferociously, looking for answers to the many unanswered questions probing his mind.Yet, in the midst of all these, Dre seemed to be getting more attractive. Was there someone else? He didn't want to think about it. Yet, the thought of it often strayed into his mind unconsciously.Even if there was someone else, his best bet was that it would be someone m
Life had suddenly turned good for Emily. It was barely a week into her engagement and the soles of her feet had stepped into more bridal shops than she'd stepped into restaurants in her entire life.It wasn't exactly her fault. Jason wanted a quick wedding. The wait was killing him and he needed the wedding to be over and dine with in no time. He'd reintroduced her to his family and his mother had even begun warming up to her, despite her earlier cold feelings towards her.Emily wasn't sure whether it was the universe that was tired of seeing her suffering and had decided to make things better for her or it was just purely out of merit but whatever it was, she was grateful for it.Today, she was going to go with Mia and her soon-to-be mother-in-law, Mrs. Wendy Campbell to yet another boutique that had a bridal shop to pick a wedding dress.The boutique was owned by one of Mrs. Campbell's influential friends. She was going to take the ladies there to show them around and also catch up
Seeing Edmund jump down from his jeep and advancing towards her like some maniac made her blood to suddenly stop flowing. She stood rooted at the spot and plotted her next move.Directly across from her, Jason was standing on his own, waiting for her. No matter the direction that Edmund came from, he was going to see him.There was no need to run away. Edmund didn't look like he was going to back away easily. The only decision she now saw was to stand back and contend with him or maybe reason with him.They didn't have to cause a scene here. In fact, if Edmund cooperated, no one would have to know what the problem with them was.As Edmund continued to take quick strides to reach her, all her hopes of reasoning with him evaporated into thin air.Edmund didn't look anything like the Edmund she knew. He wore nothing else but a fades shirt that shouldn't have been seen outside and a pair of trousers that were at least two sizes smaller than him.He looked even worse. His facial hair was s
All around the garden, black umbrellas formed pinnacle of covering over the over hundred people that had come to witness the lowering of her coffin to the ground.It was unarguably the most horrifying scene that Emily had ever witnessed. It was hard to just stand there and not shed tears while the burial proceedings for Dre Sinclair who was amongst other things, her friend was ongoing. She thought she had her acts together all this time. Not even when the priest had delivered a pitiful sermon about how people ought to lead good lives when they were alive so that when they died like Dre had just done, their spirit would not be filled with regret, had Emily shed a single tear.The high point of the event was when everyone was led to the graveside, dug in the middle of a beautiful garden. It was just the kind of place that Dre would have wanted to rest in, had she been alive to make her decision. A place filled with so much calmness and serenity, where she would forever commune with th
The man slipped out of the door unnoticed, feet barely touching the ground as he struggled to make it out of there without making a sound.Just a few meters away behind him, Jerry Ishag's body lay lifeless, his face bent over on the table. He'd died with tears rolling down his face.A part of him felt guilty for what he'd done but there was no undoing his action neither was there another option. It was a dog-eat-dog world. You either ate or got eaten. If he chose to disobey the order that had come for him to kill Jerry, that would be him signing his death warrant with his own hands.It was best to obey and stay alive to fight another day. The image of Jerry lying helplessly while the poison worked inside his body, killing him slowly was certainly going to haunt him for life. But Andre had no regrets, only guilt. Even if he'd refused to get the job done, another person would have been hired to finish Jerry off once and for all. And afterwards, come after him.By killing him, he'd save
Charlotte arrived breathlessly at his door. It'd taken a lot of guys to admit to her fault and finally make the trip here but in the end, she decided that it was all worth it. She was never really welcome back at Edmund's house anyway. At least here, she had a man that loved her, a man that wanted to be with her and most of all, a man that was determined to take care of her.Those were things that Edmund could never ever do for her. So, her fall was a blessing in disguise. At least now she'd get to love her truth and loving her truth wasn't as hard as the lies she'd been trying to keep up with all along.She didn't bother to knock on his door. He barely went anywhere these days. He just stayed at home and read all the books on his shelf. When she was around, they would make love from sunrise to sunset.As happy as she was about this new development, she still had her doubts about the new life that he'd adopted for himself. Would he be able to take care of her if he continued to live
Outside, Emily could barely focus on the road that lay ahead or any other thing for that matter. It was hard to focus on anything knowing that she could be in the police cell any minute.The idea of trusting Edmund to keep everything that had happened between them simply did not appeal to her. He wasn't just going to allow her to get away with everything she'd done.That's why she needed to clean up her mess and get out of town. This town had taken so much from her. Now, all she wanted to do was stay far away from it and count her losses.In reflective moments such as these, Emily couldn't help but think about how lonely her life had just gotten. With Dre dead and Mia grieving, there was really nobody else to talk to.Well, except for Jason who'd gotten so busy with work that he barely had time for her anymore. There was also her father. But surely, he too would be busy with work.Emily was in the mood to throw in a surprise on her old man. She didn't bother to think about it or call
She struggled to breathe but the stubborn burning sensation in her chest was so great that every attempt to breathe made her feel a lot worse than before.Everyone was looking down at her on the floor, waiting for her to say something, to clear the air and to answer all the questions that they had, both the ones that were said and the ones that weren't said yet. But the most demanding of them all was Edmund, maybe because she was betrayed on a very personal level. He refused to give in to her show of being hurt and continued to probe her to know what was going on."I'm sorry I lied," she said, making an effort to speak. "I didn't mean to lie. And I'm very sorry about it. ""What do you mean by you didn't mean to lie?" Edmund probed. "You did what you did with very clear eyes, so why are you pretending that it was a mistake now?" He rose from his squatting position, scratched his head rather roughly and paced to the end of the room. When he returned, he faced Charlotte squarely in the
From the first day he was arrested and brought in here, his hope had wavered. For people like him that weren't worth a ransom, no one would even notice he was missing and no one would come looking for him.The only thing Jerry Iahag now lived for was to know the truth. The moment he knew the truth about who sold him out and punished the offender accordingly, he would gladly tell the truth and accept whatever penalties went with it.But he was quite sure of one thing. He wasn't going down this path alone. It was either he brought everyone else who was involved down with him or he told the truth and struck a deal with the detectives, a deal that would allow him to return to the outside world again, to hunt down whoever had betrayed him.But with Andre's presence in the station, his hopes were restored. He suddenly didn't look forward to dying anymore. Like an animal who'd been caged for too long, he longed for freedom. He longed to breathe the air outside the walls of the police station
About thirty miles away, an unknown visitor slipped into the premises of the police station. Dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a blue UCLA T-shirt, he looked very ordinary.But there was nothing ordinary about this man. His name was Andre Anderson and he was a very well-known friend of Jerry Ishag who was still being held in the station.Today, however, he was not there at the police station as Jerry Ishag's friend. He was there as a traitor, ready to perform the last act of betrayal to his friend.Getting into the station was made very easy as he'd had access to the map of the entire building and chosen to go through the places which were less guarded than the others. He got in noiselessly, slipping in like he was invisible. Taking the front door was suicidal as there would be many officers waiting to receive him. But Andre had a better plan. There were two main doors in the station. One opened up at the entrance of the building while the other one was at the rear of it.He chos