Harold's POV.I watched the phone ring, my familiar ringtone blaring out until it stopped altogether. Then, I heaved a sigh of relief.I didn't know why she was calling me. It had been three days since we spoke last and even though I was trying to be more consistent, I just couldn't help it.And knowing Brittany, I knew she wouldn't give up.I met her when I was in elementary school. Her parents were good friends of mine and whenever they came over, she came along with them. We started as friends probably because I was always amused by her sharp mouth.Then we grew older and became close friends. We started to attend the same high school and she took up the protective role, always chasing away every other female friend I had. It was tiring how she didn't leave me be.Then one day, my parents called me and told me that I mustn't lose Brittany because she was suddenly my betrothed. I stood a chance of taking over her parent's properties especially as she is an only child. I wasn't too k
Riella's POV.“Baby who cares? I know you care, bring it over to my place…You don't know what you did to me…” Carolyn's terrible voice had me pulling out of bed that peaceful Saturday, feeling the rise of a headache. I pushed the covers off myself and straightened my spine. Pulling on a shirt because I had on purple shorts and a sports bra, I got out of my room.I trailed down the stairs and once I got to the bottom did I see what was going on. Carolyn was Under the influence of Chris Brown blaring out of the speakers and she was practically doing a show for herself with the way she was singing and whining her waist.Her voice sounded so terrible compared to the smooth voice of the singer. She had always been a terrible singer. And now, she was singing and dancing to the song at the same time.Laughter bubbled in the pit of my stomach and I thought about how getting this on camera would be fun. Without furtherthoughts, I raced up the stairs and grabbed my phone.By the time I got bac
Riella's POV.I sat down in the passenger's seat, blaring the honk loudly. It's been close to an hour since I announced that we got ready to go to the mall yet Carolyn wouldn't step out Usually, she finished dressing up before me but for some dumb reason today, she was taking longer to dress up. I was very sure she was putting on makeup. But why would anyone sane think of wearing makeup in this hot sun?I pressed the horn again praying she got out of the house quickly. I reached for my phone and turned my phone screen toward me. I could see tons of messages that had come in from Anna ever since our call.I hadn't spoken to my sister in weeks. She only ever calls me when she has a problem, going through some crisis or got into trouble with our parents and needs me to talk to them for her. I understood that she was absorbed with college life and all of that but sometimes, I got sick of it. It was the reason why I always asked why she called whenever I pick her calls. There was always
Riella's POV.I must commend Carolyn's acting skills. After my words, my girl just went ahead with what she was doing. I didn't just tell her that a billionaire was walking toward us so casually like it was a normal thing.I always wondered why he didn't have guards. I mean, he exuded the exterior of a wealthy CEO and he was supposed to have guards surrounding him and escort all that.But he lived a very simple life.He did most of his things himself. Sometimes, he even relieved the chauffeur of the duties by insisting on driving himself. It was quite unexpected for me and it made things a bit…relatable. He made admiring him so damn easy.When he stopped in front of us, I saw the not-so-obvious smirk on his face and my brows furrowed together. His eyes did a small rake over me and I suddenly got conscious.“Hello, sir.” I forced myself to say, surprise clouding my features and appearing a little too shocked for my liking.“What are you doing here?” His husky voice, not too deep thoug
Harold's POV.It wasn't every day we ran into people at the mall. Especially not the people you could not keep your minds off. It was all plain coincidence.Sheer coincidence.I watched as Riella walked up to us casually from wherever they had gone to talk. I knew Riella was probably not comfortable with me joining them for lunch but thanks to her friend, I was here with them.But I was also running insane.Those clothes she had on, that top…whatever it was they called it, had a dangerous neckline that had her fucking cleavages out in the open. And my goodness, that outfit was seduction itself. What was she thinking wearing them? How could any red-blooded man see that and feel comfortable?I mean, she had to be aware of how many heads she had turned ever since we walked into the diner. And the fact that she didn't even act like she was aware, didn't even seem like it but still carried herself around, walking toward us in that confident yet comfortable strides of hers had me thinking.
Riella's POV.I was fuming.I was seething badly as I charged toward the car, cussing and muttering profanities beneath my breath. I was sure with the way I was going, steams were going to erupt from my nose and ears but I couldn't care less.Thankfully, most people who saw the scowl on my face and the bounce in my steps knew something was up, so they were quick to move out of the way before I got to them.Good.I wouldn't like to wear the prison uniforms anytime soon. “Ella,” Behind me, Carolyn was desperately trying to keep up with me. I could hear the desperate clicks of her heels and how quick they moved but I was way ahead of her.I got into the car before she got close and by the time she was near, I slammed the door right in her face just before she could spluter whatever her mind had come up with. I wasn't even fazed.I saw her sighed sadly before crossing over to get into the other seat. As soon as she got in and started to fasten her seatbelt, I started the car and drove ou
Harold's POV.“Yes….of course, thank you so much.” I sighed before bringing the phone down from my ear. Lately, work had been really hectic for all of us here.I placed my phone back down on the table, swerved my chair back forward from its position and continued to work on my laptop. I needed to complete this part of my work by tonight. It would be needed for a board meeting in a few weeks.A light knock on the door had me raising my head from the laptop.My heart skipped a beat watching the very pretty lady standing there, fiddling with a basket in one hand and a bunch of files in the other hand. She raised her head, the upper part of her hair falling over her face. She pushed her head back to put the fringe back in place since her hands were occupied. “Come in, Ms. Monroe.” I ordered, archibg my back across my swivel chair again. She passed me an appreciative smile before skipping in gingerly, her heels leaving a clicking sound to the floor.“Here are the documents you requested f
Riella's POV.I paused on tracks, watching his gaze linger on his ringing phone as he wondered whether or not to proceed with the call. He didn't seem too keen about picking the call.Finally, he settled after a few seconds when the phone had stopped ringing and had started again. He answered the call and I was wondering if I was to excuse him or not when his next words cut me off.“Hello, father.” He eased his back into the chair, a wine glass in one hand while his phone pressed to his ear in the other hand. I watched how his well styled hair seemed to sway at the slightest increase of the breeze. It seemed so beautiful just watching him, watching him laugh so easily, the melodious sound causing a kind of dangerous shiver to run down my veins, watching the wide smile on his face, watching the movement of his lips as they moved in accord, watching the space between his neck, his buttons were left undone.“Dad, I know that's what I said but now?” He seemed a bit horrified about someth
FIVE YEARS LATER.I hummed with a smile as I fixed my earrings to my ear properly. They were dropping and very long but they were also very expensive. A Christmas gift courtesy of my husband. I grabbed the cherry lip gloss on the vanity table and applied it to my lips. I smacked my lips together, pursed it, and posed in front of the mirror. I looked good. The red velvet dress I was wearing with the plunging V- neckline and long sleeves that were adorned with lace trimmings were so beautiful. I had my hair packed into a messy bun, leaving the fringes out while a pretty gold necklace lay on my neck.I did a spin and blew a kiss at my reflection. While I packed up my make-up items, the door to the room opened and my husband strolled in. He walked over and wrapped his hands around my waist. I leaned back and let him kiss my lips.“You look breathtaking,” he breathed and I beamed. Even after all these years, compliments had a way of soaking me in.I turned around and placed my hands on e
Riella's POV.Harold managed to get me to the hospital. He didn't even let me go home, he just asked that Damien drive us to the hospital, and as for Carolyn, she stayed glued to me while still sobbing about how this was her fault.Harold came through when I least expected it. It was the moment when I'd given up hope that I was never going to see him again. When I was very sure that I would never see any of them again, they came through. And I was very grateful. “How did you guys find me?” I asked as I leaned on Harold while he wrapped his hands around me.Carolyn smiled and leaned forward. Her hand gently reached out and stroked the necklace still hanging around my neck while watching me.“I put a jewelry detector.” She replied smugly and my eyes widened.“Wow,” I was honestly shocked, I didn't expect it.“I had a feeling that something could go wrong after you told me that day. I just wanted to ensure that you were going to be safe if anything were to go wrong.” She explained and
Harold's POV.My eyes widened and I went pale as soon as the line went dead in my hands. She was screaming. The bloody bastard had hit her. He was making her cry. He was hurting her. I tried to dial the cell again but it ended right on the spot.“I'm going to kill that bastard with my bare hands, ” George fumed as he paced about the room. I swallowed and shoved my phone into my pocket, swallowing up my emotions. Now was not the time for me to dwell or fume. I had to contain my emotions properly to keep a straight head. I still had time to kill the bastard.Turning around, my gaze landed on my parents. They were talking in hushed tones, looking all worried but I knew it was not because of Ella. It was a whole lot more of things that I wasn't even ready to listen to. My eyes darted away from them over to the siblings trying to talk their Mum from coming after me or whatever she intended to do with how much she was watching me.I sighed and started to walk over to her when Noel's voice
Riella's POV.I slowly regain consciousness, feeling groggy and disoriented. My head felt like something heavy had been hit on it and it felt like a spell of dizziness was cast over me. As I assessed my surroundings, I quickly realized that I was tied up and in a dark room. The pungent odor of cigarette smoke filled my nostrils, making it difficult to breathe. Fear began to set in as I realized that I had no idea how I got here or who could have done this to me.My chest heaved as flashes of what felt like the past few hours flashed through my mind's eye. The last thing I remembered was excusing myself to the restroom. My eyes widened and I coughed loudly when I finally registered everything.Oh my God, Harold!My heart ached and I found myself feeling my tied-up hands to check for my wedding bands. It was still there. Somehow, with my health at that moment, it was hard deciphering if anything was real anymore.God, if this was what I thought was happening, what was Harold going to do
Harold's POV. “So, I really need a detailed explanation of what happened,” Jackson, one of the men Tyler brought along asked, looking in my direction. I stared back at him and after a few seconds, Damien cleared his throat and started. “We had the wedding at the Oasis garden resort. It was private, essentially private. The only people who I knew attended the wedding and the reception were the resort staff. Oh and by the way, one of the staff is blackmailing us. They know how important this is to us and now, they are threatening and blackmailing. I'm still trying to get my hands on him.” Damien glared at no one again before he cleared his throat and continued. “After the wedding ended, the couples went ahead to take pictures shot by Kim, the private photographer I hired. We had fun and games and of course danced. I just finished dancing with Riella when she went off to see Jemma.” He concluded. The three men turned in the direction of Jemma who had been introduced. She seemed to s
Harold's POVI was getting ready to head back to the screaming people when Damien walked in. His eyes widened when he saw my nose and he rushed forward.“What the hell happened? And what is going on? How are Riella's folks here?” He demanded all at once?“Ella's dad did the punch. They are very worried about their daughter.” I shrugged trying to appear calm even though on the inside, I was boiling. “Damn, this is a disaster.” He massaged his forehead.“It will be a bigger disaster if I don't find my wife. An eighteen year old just promised to break my bones.” I gritted.“Are you kidding?” Damien screamed in disbelief. “Was that Ella's brother?” He questioned.“ Yep, and he seemed pretty serious about it. I love how protective he is though.” After a few seconds, I asked, ”Any luck with what you were up to?” I asked.“That's another problem. I couldn't get the pictures. The stupid man had it sold to the media already before he started threatening me. I tried to buy the pictures but
Harold's POV.I got to the door as I caressed my cheeks in anger, feeling the sting of her slap. When I opened the door, I expected to find Damien and Matilda by the door but instead, a frantic woman pushed me out of the way as soon as I opened the door and let herself in.I barely got to handle the door before a huge, brown haired man pushed his way in, followed by Jemma and Anna with a male I guessed was Duncan. He was tall, broad shouldered, and possessed pretty brown hair. I was about to shut the door when Carolyn walked in. She glanced at me, silently muttering an apology. I knew there and then that nothing would have gone well if the whole family was here. And with how much Jemma had messed up earlier, I would not be surprised if they knew everything already.“Are you the one who knocked my daughter up?” The huge man stalked toward me. I nodded and just like I had anticipated, I received the punch on my nose.I groaned and my hand immediately cupped my nose in pain. He was a ba
Harold's POVJust like I ordered, we rounded up our cars in ten minutes and we drove straight to the airport without a word. The wedding Spirit was disheveled. I had dumped my tux somewhere, leaving off my black shirt. I had made a series of calls while on the flight and now that we had alighted after four tiring hours, I was ready to strangle Brittany.“Are you sure you don't need me to come home with you?” I asked Carolyn and the girls for the umpteenth time after we arrived at the airport.“No, Harold. I will handle this. They wouldn't want to see or hear anything from you at all so, lete take the lead and handle this the way I can. It's going to be tough but they are going to listen to me in the long run. So, you stay away while I handle it.” She explained and I exhaled.Of course, I wouldn't expect Ella's folks to welcome me with open arms if I go to see them. They must have put two and two together thanks to Jemma and were probably furious now. They wouldn't want to see the face
Harold's POV.I was running mad.I didn't understand how something so perfect, something that had been going on so perfectly well had gone up in flames in a matter of seconds. Riella was missing. No, she wasn't missing.She was kidnapped.The last time someone had seen her according to Jemma who had been the person, it was when she had gone off to use the restroom. A hotel staff after then had reported that he saw a lady being snuggled into a car.“Did you catch the car's number?” Damien was the only one calm amongst us and he was trying to get answers from the trembling maid.“No, the car sped off before I could register anything.” She shook her head. I placed about, running my hands through my hair in anger. Everything was going downhill. I was running mad. I was feeling sick. I was angry.“YOU HAD ONLY ONE JOB? ONE FREAKING JOB!” I screamed at the crowd of men the resort had provided to protect us. I had gone the extra mile to pay them to specially ensure our safety but they had go