****KINGSLEY’S POV****The civil court was a circus today, as there were far more people than I had expected to be here and reporters were even present, but they were not allowed to record anything and could only take notes on what they heard and saw.I had a front-row seat, sitting in the defendant’s chair. My lawyer, Ethan Shaw, whose brow furrowed as he flipped through stacks of documents, was seated on my left, with his assistant on my right.And across the room, Maya sat with her lawyer, her face was a mixture of determination and anger, as if she were upset about something. Was it because I had snubbed her earlier? I don't think so.I looked around, and my gaze landed on Lance Wells, who lounged smugly among the audience, the expression on his face was that of sadness as if he was separated from something important to him . Then, when my eyes shifted to the person next to him, I immediately understood why Maya seemed so angry and why his own expression wa alos like that.I sigh
I leaned back, crossing my legs as I watched the drama. The outcome of this trial was already clear. Then, it was Ethan's turn. “Your Honor,” Ethan began, “may I call Ms. Maya Roderigo to the stand?” The judge approved, and Maya took her place in the witness box. Ethan wasted no time. “Miss Roderigo,” he started, “could you kindly explain to the court how you came to own Wells Enterprises?” Before Maya could answer, Henry Wallace shot to his feet. “Objection, Your Honor! This is irrelevant to the case at hand.” Ethan turned to the judge, unfazed. “Your Honor, this question is highly relevant. The financial state of Wells Enterprises prior to Miss Roderigo’s ownership directly pertains to the viability of the rezoning proposal. The company’s struggles predate my client’s involvement, and now they are planning a daylight robbery, claiming that the rezoning rumors are the reason behind their poor business performance.First, they brought a fake document about land use and n
****LANCE'S POV****Victory should feel better than this but it seems totally different from what Maya was feeling as if we lost the case. She had been lost in thought since morning. Her brow narrowed as she finally let out what was bothering her."But why is Kingsley laughing like that?" she murmured, enough for me to hear. "Maybe he never for once dreamed of a day that he would be beaten like this? Or Maybe…the defeat hit him hard," I replied, forcing a smile. " But Maya are you now alright? I was so worried when Ethan was pressuring you so much. You had…”I stopped mid-sentence when I realized her attention wasn’t on me. Her eyes were distant, her lips parted slightly as she leaned against the pillar with her arms crossed, lost in her own world. No, not her world—’his’. “Do you think he’s alright?” she murmured softly, almost as if she were asking herself.Her words hit me hard. My jaw tightened, my hand curling into a fist at my side as an unfamiliar wave of jealousy coursed
****MAYA'S POV****Walking into the hospital, I was greeted by the smell of antiseptics. I rushed past the sterile white walls, my heels clicking against the cold floor as I quickly approached the reception counter. “Good afternoon.” “Good afternoon, ma'am,” one of the nurses replied. “Please, I need to see a patient. Her name is Mia Flynn," I said, my voice strained but firm. "I’m her guardian." “Alright, ma'am. Please give me a second,” she said politely, and I gave a nod. I waited patiently as she typed on the computer. Checking my phone again, I felt a little bit disappointed in myself as I had missed a lot of Bella's calls while in court. But as I glanced up from my phone, I noticed the nurse sneaking quick glances at me, her eyes darting away every time I caught her. A quick sweep of the room confirmed it wasn’t just her. A few other nurses and even patients were watching too, whispering to one another. I didn’t really know what was going on in their minds, whether i
***LANCE'S POV***I woke up to a pounding headache, the kind that felt like someone was jackhammering against the inside of my skull. A soft groan escaped my lips, as I clutched my head with both hands, trying to will the pain away. The world felt off-kilter, like I was trapped in some twisted dream, and it took what felt like an eternity for my senses to clear. After some minutes, I felt a little but relief and I slowly rolled onto my back, my gaze locking onto the ceiling above. A faint crack in the plaster caught my eye—a detail that only deepened the gnawing unease in my chest. I sighned in anger as the memory crashed into me like a tidal wave: the dining table, the satisfying smirk on her face, and the humiliation that had burned me from the inside out. "That bitch," I muttered, the words laced with venom as I swung my legs over the side of the bed. My feet hit the cold floor, grounding me, but my head still felt like it was stuffed with cotton. I rubbed my temples wonderi
“Ashley,” I hissed through clenched teeth, “I promise you, if I find you, you will regret this.”Then her tone changed and she bursted into a heavy laughter. ““Oh, sweetheart,” she cooed, dripping with malice. “I’ve had enough of this charade, so let me spell it out for you since you seem too dense to grasp the situation. You cheated on me, Lance. I found out. I even have pictures of your little escapades—pictures you’d never want anyone else to see.”My chest tightened. “Ashley…”She cut me off with an evil chuckle. “Since you refused to settle this amicably, I’ve decided to hit you where it hurts. I’ll be filing for divorce—and demanding half of your property as compensation. So get ready, darling. You’ll be splitting everything in two.And sweetheart, you’ll see the divorce paper in the bedroom once you get home. I'll see you in a few days at the court.”Her words sounds like a kids bed night story and I could not help but laugh.. “You think I’m going to let you take half of what I
****KINGSLEY'S POV****“Here.” Lysol’s voice broke through my thoughts as he pressed a cool glass of wine into my hand. I looked up, meeting his gaze. His almond-shaped eyes, a shade of hazel that shimmer with flecks of gold, searching mine as though he could see the storm raging inside me.“Thanks,” I murmured, taking a sip. The wine burned sweetly, its warmth settling in my chest, but it wasn’t enough to distract me from the weight pressing on my shoulders.We stood side by side at the balcony, wrapped in bathrobes as we just showered together not long. The desert landscape stretched endlessly before us, a perfect hideous for us meeting secretly. Well, he does come to my house a few times but we have many eyes around us and that was why we chose here.The silence between us was heavy, broken only by the faint whisper of the wind. Lysol’s hand brushed against mine, and before I could react, he leaned in, capturing my lips in a soft kiss. It was grounding, familiar, and fleeting—just
****FLASHBACKS****The classroom was bathed in the golden hues of the setting sun, shadows stretching long across the floor. My lips brushed Lysol's owe last time, the moment abruptly shattered by the door bursting open and we both flinched apart.“Maya!” I barked, my heart leaping into my throat. Relief washed over me when I saw her standing there, smirking. For a brief moment, I thought it was a teacher or someone who could ruin everything.“What?” she drawled, leaning against the doorframe with a smug grin. “Relax, it’s just me.” She turned to Lysol with a playful tilt of her head. “Hi, handsome.”Lysol flushed, offering her a small smile. “Hi, Maya and congratulations on your graduation.” Today was actually the day we’re graduating from highschool. Others were outside celebrating but I prefer being here.“Same to you,” she replied breezily.Lysol turned to me, his smile softening. “I’ll see you later, Kingsley,” he murmured, slipping past Maya and out the door.As the door click
~~~LANCE'S POV~~~Lying on my side, I watched Maya's sleeping face. She looked so peaceful with her lips slightly parted, her hair still messy and I couldn't stop staring at her.I'm so happy to see her like this, as yesterday's events were still fresh in my mind—the way she held onto me, the way she moaned my name, the way she asked for me like she needed me just as much as I needed her.It still feels much like a dream, as I never thought Maya would be the one to ask for sex first. After two rounds in the car, we drove home to continue the rest, all through the night.I reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face, and she gently stirred a little but didn’t wake up yet.My chest tightened as I remembered yesterday. The fear I felt when I found out she had been kidnapped nearly drove me insane. I thought I was going to lose her. I thought I was never going to see her again. As I drove to where the locator was indicating, I kept telling myself that if anything happened
~~~~MAYA’S POV~~~“Are you certain it’s what you want?” His tone was soft, there was also a certain eagerness making his breath come in raspy — an indication he wanted this as well.“Yes.” I nodded, already reaching for his full mat of hair, slithering my fingers through the strands.My body was on edge — waiting for his touch and the submission that came with it. My mouth was slightly open — a silent invitation for him to take control.Without further questions, he reached for my seatbelt, unbuckled it and in a fluid, expert move, had me sitting on his lap. My chest already heaving with feral lust, I neared his face, our soft, needy breaths growing in soft pants as his lips captured mine.A soft moan escaped me, enjoying the feel of his mouth on mine. His tongue slipped into my mouth in quiet dominance, clashing with my tongue and bringing it to surrender as he plundered and caused flame alongside. I didn’t care we were inside his car, I didn’t care it was a tad bit uncomfortable.
“What?!” My mind couldn’t process it. “No—maybe she was just following her dad’s orders.”But Maya just laughed again, that same bitter, empty laugh. “No, she wasn’t. She was the one behind it all and I was blind, Lance. I thought she was the kindest out of all of them. I actually believed she was helping me. But that bitch… she was just using me.”She turned to me, tears running down her face. “She used me to save her father from going to jail. No wonder why she knew that you were after someone when Bella got into an accident. I should have thought harder back then.”“I don’t get it.”“It’s simple and I was just too dumb to see it earlier. Back when I left everything and went to Ohio, If her father had taken over and me and my dad were kicked out, Carlos would have been the one arrested for the crime they blamed my father for. Sophia planned everything. She only did all that to protect her father, not to stop him from ruining the empire.”I exhaled sharply, trying to make sense of i
~~~LANCE'S POV~~~I hold Maya close as her sobs slowly die down but she still grips my shirt like she’s scared I’ll disappear. Every tear soaking through my skin felt like a knife straight to my heart.I should’ve been faster. No—I should’ve followed her the moment she rushed out of the boardroom. But I was too busy pretending like there was nothing between us just so I could keep earning Carlos’ trust.I had no idea he was cruel enough to do this. I’ve seen different sides of him, sides I didn’t even know existed, and I kept thinking maybe we were wrong. That maybe he wasn’t the one behind this. Apart from his obsession with taking over Maya’s father’s empire, I never saw him do anything truly awful.But now, I know he’s just been hiding it all along.And I swear, he’s not getting away with this. He’s going to pay.When Maya finally calms down, I help her sit on the bench. Her eyes stay locked on the unconscious kidnapper like she wants to rip him apart, but mine stay on her, trying
"Lucas is the most qualified person in this room," I continue. "And consider this: by supporting Lucas, we're setting a precedent. For the first time since the establishment of this empire, we're saying that the leadership of this company isn’t limited to only the Roderigo family. This means that any one of you here could potentially lead this empire one day, based on merit rather than bloodline."It was as if I had dropped a lottery card as the atmosphere in the room shifted immediately. I could see people coming to their senses, their expressions changing. Happiness filled their eyes as the realization of possibility, the potential and for some, the greed of leading this empire one day all came crashing onto them."So instead of helping others climb up, why not pave the way for your own future?"Carlos must see that the directors are now wavering in their decision. His face turned even darker."You can't—" he begins, but Aunt Melissa cuts him off."Maya is right. There is no legal b
It's finally the day of the board meeting. I have gotten more courage than I should have. Lance and I still haven't met each other, other than communicating on the phone. He's with Carlos twenty-four seven, meeting with other board members, trying to win them over to his side.Lance already told me that most of the directors were now on Carlos' side and that winning them over to my side would be a little difficult, especially within the short amount of time.This was exactly why we have come to make another decision, and I have already gotten permission from my father to do this.But the mystery part that we have been trying to solve and investigate was how the cops found the ledger that Lance presented the other day in my father's office.I clearly checked every single place in his office when he was arrested, leaving no stone unturned. So how did it miraculously get in there? The surprising part was that a week ago, when Mom was hospitalized and I was in the hospital with her, two h
As everyone settled into their seats and Mr. Williams opened his mouth to speak those words I already knew he wanted to say but I cut him off and stood up."It is with my deepest pain that I inform you all of the predicament of the leader of this great empire.""Now she informs us after a lot of damage has already been done," Alexander said mockingly.I remembered that they weren’t even supposed to be here. They had already promised not to set foot here again unless summoned.But now was not the time to address that.I continued, "My father, the leader of this great empire, has fallen into a trap set by his enemies—the same enemies he made while trying to protect this empire and drive it forward.My father has been leading this empire for a solid thirty-five years, ever since it was handed to him when he was just twenty-two years old. Despite his young age back then, he led us well—well enough for us to become number one across the globe.He’s not the kind of man who gives up on his p
~~~MAYA'S POV~~~I picked up a pair of red high heels from the shoe rack, slipping them on carefully. Stepping in front of the full-length mirror, I smoothed down my sleek black dress, the fabric hugging my figure in all the right places. But something still felt incomplete.Then my gaze shifted to my reflection and landed on my loose waves cascading over my shoulders. I suddenly didn’t feel like letting my hair fall freely this morning. So I gathered it up and twisted the strands into a smooth, doughnut bun.Now satisfied with my look, I grabbed my phone and then grabbed my bag before heading outside my room. As I climbed down the stairs with my heels clicking harder, my eyes glued to my phone. My hand hovered on the chain on my neck as I read Lance's two-old message for the hundredth time:"I love you, Maya. Remember that. I would never do anything to hurt you."He had sent this message to me and also sent the necklace. Those two things has been something that has been cheering me
~~~LANCE'S POV~~~It's been like four days now since Maya's father was arrested, and everything has spiraled into chaos faster than I could have imagined.For days now, Maya's family has been turned upside down. The reporters are even chasing her around, asking if she was aware of her father's activities.The media circus isn't helping either. Every time I turn on the TV or check my phone, there's another headline about A&R and Maya's father. The company's stock is in freefall and Maya's mother... God, she couldn't handle it all. She's in this same hospital now, three floors below and her body was giving in to the stress of watching her world crumble.No matter what anyone says, Maya still solely believes that her father is innocent. Unfortunately, belief alone cannot save him. They need more evidence which we still didn't have.My heart aches every time I think about Maya. She's been practically living at the police station, working tirelessly with their lawyers to secure her father'