"... I am sure when we spoke on the phone, this purpose wasn't suggested. You did not say wanted to meet me to end the marriage, therefore I did not say I will be here to help in doing that." "Then why did you come?" She asked calmly. "What reason should a man have to see his fiance, Adele? I am here to see you... to get to know you more." He loved her more than anything else in his life, he desired her and he got her, but circumstances and responsibilities did not let him keep her long. As the days went by, they only grew apart. A pregnancy was lost as well. What will he do to keep his family together especially when his darling wife decides to leave the house and requests for a divorce. Will he keep staring at the divorce papers everyday and not sign? Or will he sign and finally set her free? Read to find out if the billionaire finally brings his family together again and how...
view moreCHAPTER ONE
Adele heaved out a heavy sigh as she stepped out of her black Audi and gazed up at the villa standing tall before her. That was the residence of the Dominicks, who happened to be the wealthiest family in the nation. They owned the largest business conglomerate in the country named Dominick Co.
Adele had been adopted by the mother of the man, Mr. Michael Dominick, who owned this company when she was five years old and she was raised by that woman even though in a different country. It was until when she had her college degree that her adoptive mother forced her to come and live in the family residence, which she did not want to because she knew she wasn't welcomed there. However, she did not want to disappoint the old woman, so she decided to come and live in the family residence, making sure to mind her business.
"Good evening to you, Brand" She greeted with a cheerful smile as she playfully threw her car keys to the parking valet and made her way into the luxurious living room.
It was almost dinner time, so she was not surprised to see servants in their uniforms, walking helter-skelter around, trying to organise places, especially the mighty dining because dinner at that household everyday looked like a banquet.
They were rich people and they did not fail to flaunt their wealth anywhere they went or in anything they did, even at dinner.
"Good evening to you, Kain" She greeted the butler who approached her to take the thick winter coat she had on. The freezing weather left her no choice but to always have it on, especially as she was cold intolerant.
"Good evening Miss MacKenzie, I will take your coat" The butler replied with a smile and without resisting, Adele quietly took off her winter coat and handed it over to the butler who quietly nodded his head and walked away. The aroma of the food coming from the kitchen made her intestines grumble, but a sudden wave of sadness overcame her when she thought back to the fact that she would be eating dinner with the entire family that seemed to despise her.
When she had been adopted by the old woman eighteen years ago, there was a big fight in the house. The wife of the old lady's son, Mrs. Aliya Dominick, was very angry and till date, that woman still despised her and even her daughter, Shannelle, had joined her mother in the hating game.
"Adele!" She heard a familiar voice call as she was ascending the staircase leading to her princess bedroom upstairs. She turned around and a wide smile formed on her face when she saw grandma Devon standing in the living room. She immediately swivelled around and descended the staircase to go and greet her properly.
That woman was the most important person in her entire life and she loved and respected her very much.
"Good evening grandma" She greeted as she hugged her grandma.
"How was your day at work?" Grandma Devon asked concerned and Adele playfully rolled her eyes as she scoffed.
"Terrible grandma, terrible. I just want to go upstairs and have a shower so I can calm my nerves." She spoke eloquently with her rich British accent.
"Yes, you should do just that. And I want to let you know that after dinner, there will be a family meeting in my private library, I have a very important piece of information to pass to you all"
"As in, all of us? Including me?" Adele asked, disturbed.
"Especially to you" She stressed and walked away and the mischievous smile on her face did not go unnoticed by Adele.
She could feel that grandma Devon was up to something and she knew what she was about to announce, "especially to her '' was going to take her off guard.
She went into deep thought as she lifelessly ascended the staircase and when she got into her bedroom, she threw herself on the bed with her arms and legs spread wide on it.
"Grandma, what are you up to this time around?" She asked rhetorically as she tried to figure out what the announcement would be about.
Grandma Devon was a very ambitious woman who was more than capable of getting anyone to do anything she wanted.
When Adele turned ten years old, she sent her out of the country to live with her sister in England and study and the moment she had her college degree, grandma found her a job back there in the country and called her to come back home. The night of her return, there was a heated argument in the house between grandma and the wife of her son, Aliya, about Adele's stay, but Aliya stood no chance against the influential women, so she stayed.
Ever since she got to the house, Aliya and her daughter, Shannelle have not failed to make her feel unwelcome. She has begged grandma time and again to let her go stay with somewhere else, but grandma turned a deaf ear to her pleas over and over again, so she stopped asking.
She could only pray and hope that whatever announcement she was about to make would not be something that will make her life take a drastic turn.
**********************************************
After dinner, which was silent as usual, Adele went straight into her bedroom to put on another sweater. The house had a sophisticated heating system, but her cold intolerance made her feel like there was no heating system in the house. If they had to adjust the temperature of the thermostat to her taste, then everyone else was going to die of heat, so she always made sure to double sweaters to keep herself warm.
Once she wore the sweater, she exited her bedroom and descended the flight of stairs that led to the third and second floor which happened to be grandma's chambers. The villa they lived in had six storeys. The first floor had the largest living room, kitchen, dining and other rooms. The second floor was Grandma Devon's chambers, the third floor was for Mr and Mrs. Dominick, the fourth floor was for the children (Adele, Shannelle and Jamal) , the fifth and the sixth floor were for guests.
When she arrived at Grandma Devon's private study, he let out an enormous sigh before stretching her hand forward to knock.
When she did and the reply came, she softly creaked open the door and froze on her tracks when she saw the numerous pairs of eyes staring at her.
Everyone else was already present, and it looked like they were all waiting for her.
"I'm sorry I'm late" She apologised as she closed the door behind her.
"You dare keep your elders waiting, how mannerless!" Aliya grumbled.
"Aliya leave her be, it's not like you have been here for long. Take a seat dear" Grandma Devon defended her and she quietly nodded her head as she scanned around the room for an empty seat, but to her greatest dismay, there was none. The only empty seat was space beside Jamal and that was the last person she wanted to seat close to.
Jamal hardly spoke to anyone at home, not to talk of her. He was the first son of the household and he was the future CEO of his father's conglomerate. Ever since she got back home from England, he had spoken just once to her and what he had said was:
"Welcome home"
That was one year ago and since then she and Jamal had never said anything to each other. They hardly even ever saw each other. She had no idea whether he hated her like his mother and sister did, but… even if that was the case, it would not be strange because Jamal didn't seem to like anybody. Not even his own mother and father.
"Go on, take the seat beside Jamal" Grandma Devon urged when she sensed Adele's hesitation. Adele quietly walked over to the couch and lifelessly lowered herself beside Jamal, making sure to leave ample space between them. To say that the man intimidated her was an understatement.
She feared the man!
"Good evening once more" Grandma greeted as she looked at them. "I know this meeting was called on a very short notice, I apologise for that. However, it was urgent that I called this meeting, that is why you all are seating her."
"Will you just go straight to the point?" Aliya asked in a bored tone.
"Will you not talk to my mother like that?" Mr. Dominick intervened, shooting his wife a contemptuous scowl that caused her to shut her mouth and stay quiet.
Grandma dismissed her rude comment and rode on.
"I have called you all today to make a special announcement which involves Jamal and Adele" Grandma explained, looking from Jamal to Adele and she could see the uncertainty on Adele's face. She smiled in satisfaction as she sat upright on her chair.
"And what is that announcement, mum?" Mr. Dominick inquired, causing grandma to smile even wider.
"Adele and Jamal are going to get married!" She announced in a firm tone and the moment her words stroked Adele's eardrums, she choked on her saliva.
Adele coughed hard as she struggled to breath and Jamal patiently rubbed her back to calm her down.
When she was calm again, she looked up at Grandma with a baffled expression plastered on her face.
"What?" She asked afraid and grandma just smiled. At that moment, she was hyperventilating and her heart was beating at an increasingly fast pace. She feared that it would hop out of her chest. She was so startled at the news that her ears began to itch and her body suddenly grew hot. She had on two sweaters and her body temperature elevated so much that she began suffocating in the sweaters.
She hastily took off her sweaters as she began fanning herself with her hands.
Everything seemed so hot and uncomfortable at the moment.
"I object to this marriage arrangement! My son is not going to marry someone he does not love, he is not going to marry an adopted lowlife!" Aliya retorted in anger as she casted a furious glance at Grandma. "Dominick!" She called as she averted her gaze to her husband. "Don't just sit there, tell this woman that plan of hers is not going to work!" She fumed in anger but Mr. Dominick did not move an inch from his spot or utter a single word.
"Aliya, will you stop embarrassing yourself and stay calm?" Grandma asked in a bored tone.
"Grandma, what is going on? Jamal and I can't get married, we hardly even know each other. I don't love him and I'm sure he doesn't love me too!" Adele objected and that got Jamal's attention.
He looked at Adele who had a terrified look on her face and clenched his fists.
"Jamal, please tell grandma this is impossible" Adele pleaded as she looked at Jamal. She wondered why had not said a word till that moment. She knew in her mind that Jamal did not want to marry her either so she wondered why he had not said a word or walked out like he always did when he disagreed on something.
"Adele, I know this is sudden, but this is my last wish. Please, marry him." Grandma pleaded.
"But grandma, Jamal …"
"This is preposterous! They are practically siblings!" Aliya shouted again.
"Siblings? Aliya you have never treated this child like a daughter, how can you open your mouth and declare such foolishness?"
"But she was raised in this house, she is…"
"Jamal" Grandma cut her off and turned to face Jamal who had his gaze plastered on the floor. "Are you okay with this arrangement?" Grandma asked Jamal and the entire room fell in dead silence as they all turned to look at Jamal who had not uttered a single word the entire time.
He had on an indifferent look and no one could tell if he was happy or disappointed about the arrangement.
"Finally, some peace and quiet." He whispered as he averted his gaze from the floor to them. "If it's grandma's wish that I marry Adele, then I will honour it. Let me know when the wedding date is set." He said as rose from the chair and stood straight tall before all of them. "Since the announcement has been made, I will retire to my bedroom now. I have some work to round off with" Then he majestically walked out of the study room, leaving everyone thunderstruck.
Adele kept looking at the door he just exited with her eyes and mouth wide open.
Never in her life had she imagined that something like this was going to happen to her!
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN.ONE MONTH LATER.“Baby, are you alright?” Jamal asked, concerned when he noticed that Adele was feeling uncomfortable on her seat. They were at Shannelle’s wedding reception. The day had been a very hectic one for both of them as they had to make sure everything was going on smoothly. Adele, who had been Shannelle’s maid of honor, was exhausted and her husband could see it in her eyes.“Yeah, I'm good. Why asked?”“You're really exhausted. The formalities are over, we can go home now.”“No we can’t. Shannelle will feel betrayed.” Adele protested, but Jamal did not listen to her. He quietly rose to his feet and went over to the high table where Shannelle and her husband were seated. He engaged in a short, quiet conversation with them before returning to his seat to meet Adele.“Let's get going.” He instructed as he took her hand. She did not object because she was tired and needed to go home and rest but she did not want to go because she felt that Sha
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTEEN.The morning went smoothly at the office with Adele and her colleagues. Everyone did the work apportioned to them by their supervisor, Grace and by lunch time, they were all exhausted and ready to take a break.Adele sat behind her cubicle, contemplating whether to call Jamal and ask if they could eat lunch together. The man was her husband, but she understood the kind of busy person he was and sometimes, when making requests, she feared that she was being a bother or a distraction to him. After a long moment of contemplating whether to call or not, she finally decided not to. She calmly placed her phone on her table and let out a tired sigh.It was as if she was never going to fully get used to her own husband.“Adele!” Kelly whispered harshly and Adele trembled on her spot as she snapped out of her thoughts.“Whoa, whoa whoa…” Kelly explained when she noticed her reaction. “What’s going on? You’ve been lost in thought for a while now and you shook a g
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTEEN“Cole!” Adele called when she spotted Cole walking into their office at the conglomerate. When Cole heard her call, he instantly halted on his tracks and turned to face her. A few weeks ago, he would have walked over to her and given her a casual hug and even pecked her cheeks, but after finding out that she was the wife of Jamal King Dominick, his boss, he could even dare to get too close to her.“Mrs. King.” He called with a smile and Adele frowned in disappointment as she approached him.“I thought we already had this talk, Cole. Please, don’t address me as Mrs King, it makes me feel very old.” Adele lamented and Cole chuckled, shaking his head.“You don’t get it, do you? If your husband hears me calling you by your first name, he’s going to have me fired. I love my job.”“You honestly think Jamal is that petty, don’t you?” Adele asked with a serious look."I did not hear you just address my big boss by his first name. I swear I did not hear that.”
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN.“Good morning Mr. King.” Christine, Jamal's main secretary, greeted as he approached her table.“Good morning, Christine.” Jamal replied with a smile.“Mr. King, there’s someone waiting for you in your office.” Christine announced and Jamal halted on his tracks and turned to face her with a curious frown on his face.He wasn’t expecting anyone that morning and he knew that if Christine had let whoever it was wait for him in his office, then he or she was an important person.“And, who is that?” He asked.“Your father, Mr, dominick.” She deciphered and Jamal’s heart fell into his abdomen. That was the last name he was expecting to hear. He closed his eyes and silently exhaled and straightened up his tuxedo before going into his office to face his father.He had no idea why the man had come to his office so early in the morning. The last time they met to have a one on one discussion, they had separated on a bad foot so he had no idea how the talk that m
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWELVE.It was dinner time at the mansion and Adele, Jamal and Grandma were having dinner at the dining table. Shannelle was not with them because she was spending the night at her fiancé’s house. Something that did not sit well with Jamal. He had been grumbling about it ever since she told him.“She never listens to me!” He mumbled under his breath as Adele served him some hot sauce.“Who never listens to you?” She asked and took her seat. Jamal looked at her and sighed heavily. He creased his forehead with his fingers and sighed yet again before looking at Adele again who was patiently waiting for him to tell her what she wanted to hear.“I guess I'm never going to stop wanting to protect her.” He lamented.“Who are you talking about?” Asked, Grandma.“Shannelle. I’m talking about Shannelle.” “What about her?” Adele questioned as she took in a scoop of her soup, her eyes not leaving Jamal's worried face.“A few hours ago, she called to inform me that she wou
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN.Aliya’s mind was in turmoil the entire day. When she had asked her son why he was not on good terms with his father, he had only smiled and asked her husband so he could tell her all what he did to her. She was worried.She was extremely worried because she had no idea what to expect. Jamal and his father had always had a very close relationship. He was always closer to his father than he was close to her and that sometimes made her jealous, but a few years ago, she discovered that the bond between father and son had been broken. When Jamal just started working at the conglomerate, he adored his father and he did everything his father had asked him to do, but a few years later, everything fell apart. Jamal lost all respect for his father and had even kicked his father out of the company.At first, she had thought Adele was the cause of all what happened, but after realising herself, she knew there was something bigger and she needed to find out. She un
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TEN.Adele went straight home after her visit to the Dominick residence. She still didn't know what to make out of everything Aliya had told her. Yes, she accepted her apology and Aliya even hugged her for the first time in her life, but she was still in shock. All day long, she kept wondering what Shannelle could have possibly told her mother to change her heart as such.The hatred Aliya always showed Adele had made her understand that there was nothing in the world that could make Aliya like and accept her as her daughter-in-law, but she had done just that."Baby." Jamal called when he entered the bedroom. Adele was sitting on one of the sofas in the sitting area, totally lost in in thought but when she heard her name, she snapped out and smiled at her husband who sat by her side."Hey…" she greeted calmly and kissed him. Jamal could tell from her looks that everything was not okay."I was told you left work early today, is everything alright? Do you feel si
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINE.Shannelle got a call from her mother in the morning to come meet her immediately and she had no idea what that was about. As the obedient daughter she was, she hastily got herself ready and went over to her parents house to hear what her mother had to tell her."Mum." She called once she got into the living room. The television was on, meaning her mother was somewhere around. "Mum." She called, looking around."Shannelle." Aliya called from the staircase. Shannelle looked up and saw her mother descending that staircase with an eternal frown masked on her face. Shannelle could help but wonder why her mother was so furious early in the morning."Mum, you called. Is everything alright?" She was concerned and her mother scowled at her. She was confused."I heard you hung out with Adele yesterday. She accompanied you to your dress fitting. Is that true?" Her mother asked as she stood before her and that was when it dawned on Shannelle. Her mother had called he
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT.Jamal had dealt with the major issues he had in life. He was no longer at his father's mercy, his wife had forgiven him for maltreating her and losing their child and now the world knew who she was, his younger sister was about to get married to one of the most eligible in the country. His business was booming, everything was fine. There were two more things he had to settle, the first was Danielle's issue and the second would be discussed later.After making Owen Co go bankrupt, Jamal had no idea what Danielle had been up to, but he was sure that she was going through a tough time.He knew no matter what, he owed Danielle because she was the one who brought him to the light about his father's plans and stole the documents that could implicate him. For that one reason, Jamal had forgiven her for trying to get his sister raped and he had made up his mind to bring her back to her feet.Danielle, who had received a call from a private number came out of her
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