His words hit me like a slap in the face, and my fists tightened into balls, my acrylic nails digging into my skin. I seethed with anger at hearing that name again—the name that had been making my life miserable over and over.How dare he mention her name in front of me?"Wasn't humiliating me in public enough?" I choked out, fighting back tears. "Aren't you satisfied with cheating on me and making me a laughing stock? Now you even have to do it in our own home? Why? Lance, why do you keep tormenting me like this? What else have I done wrong except loving you with all my heart, and you keep breaking it!"Lance's face was cold, cruel, completely devoid of emotion despite my emotional outburst. It broke my heart to see him like this. He had changed from the man I dated and fell in love with in college.Back then, my Lance would never do anything to make me sad or let me cry, but now all he seemed to want was to hurt me. It seemed he derived joy from seeing me cry my heart out."You shou
My legs felt like jelly as I approached an old industrial building which was tucked away in the part of the city which I barely venture into. Each step that I took was a battle against my instincts, which was screaming at me to turn and flee. But the image of my father's face if he ever found out what I'd done... that was even more terrifying than whatever awaited me here.The Roderigos already found out that I was the one behind and right now Bill is on their custody. I didn't come here because of saving him but because of saving my own skin as I knew the power in their hands over my family.I clearly took care of things neatly on my own ends and has no idea that Bill would do a shady work and even mentioned my name when he was caught. How dare he do this do me! After having even paying him with my own body.As I climbed into stairs, going to the first floor, my heart pounded so hard that I could feel it in my throat, threatening to choke me. Sweat trickled down my spine, making my
~~~ LANCE'S POV~~~ I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel as I drove to my company. I didn't allow the driver to drive me as I was going to stop somewhere which I didn't want anyone to know about. Earlier, I intentionally lied to Ashley that I was chasing after Ariel to make her feel pain and jealousy because from now on, I don't think she would be able to enjoy this marriage again, not after I found out everything that she had done to me. She wanted this marriage desperately and I'm going to continue giving it to her. But why exactly do I have the feeling that she has something to do with how Maya's mother's surrogacy went viral? I don't really know, but I just have that feeling. Now thinking about Maya, I wonder if she was alright with everything that has happened, especially when her mother collapsed. I could imagine the worried expression on her face at that moment as I had seen it once before. My mind drifted back to a few weeks after our marriage. I got hit by a
I felt a little disappointed to hear her say that and maybe it was because I was thinking about something impossible when I clearly knew that Maya could not have given birth to her, but it was just their striking resemblance that made me curious. I picked up my hamburger and also began to eat, checking the time. It was almost closing hours and I was sure her mother would soon come and pick her up. I need to take her back to school. "But do you usually cry whenever someone calls you Mr. Lance?" "Huh?" "I mean, if I call you Mr. Lance, are you going to cry?" She asked again and I almost laughed at her question. "Of course not! Why would I cry because you call me by my name?" I arched my brow as I saw a sad look on her face. "Did something happen?" "It... it's just that whenever I call Miss..." "Bella!" I heard her name being called, which interrupted what she was about to say. Both of us turned towards the voice that was calling Bella's name, and my eyes landed on a young
~~~MAYA'S POV~~~I gazed into Kingsley's eyes as he tried to reconcile with me. For the past two days, he had always texted me every hour, telling me what he had realized and the reason why he still wanted us. It's quite funny seeing my phone beep every time and it was always his message.All I could see on his face now was a mask of regret, his usually confident expression was now replaced by an almost boyish vulnerability as he stood before me, apologizing."Maya, I... I'm so sorry," Kingsley said, his voice barely above a whisper. "The way I acted last time, the things I said... I’ve realized I was a complete ass and in the little time we stayed apart, I’ve realized so many things, which I will definitely and boldly say: 'I want us.'"I couldn't help but smile a little as I watched him make his confession. It was rare to see the one and only Kingsley Bane, who was used to getting his way and never apologized to anyone, squirm like this before me."Go on," I teased, raising an eyebr
"I'd say I'm more than qualified for your little club," Sophia continued, smirking at the shocked faces around us. "What do you say, ladies? Care to learn from a pro?"I could see them stuttering and fumbling for words, clearly thrown off by Sophia's boldness. I was sure the last thing they wanted was someone with a marriage background like hers to join the club.Sophia had a reputation as the queen of divorce, as she had been married and divorced five times, although she was single now. No one knew the real reasons for the divorces, but whenever she filed for a divorce from her husband, Sophia would always be the victim of adultery, claiming her husband cheated on her. Surprisingly, none of those husbands would say anything against her claims, and they would share properties.Maybe she had something on them, I don't know.But her last divorce, which was her fifth, was quite messy as the husband claimed he did no such thing and even refused to divorce.That was how I found out from Mo
Courtney looked at me with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Really? Of course I'm open to anything at this point."I glanced around, trying to make sure no one else would hear our conversation as I didn't want anyone to know that I gave her this idea "Well, we are all part of that married women's club, right? And I bet between all of us, we have enough skills to put together a decent meal, so why not just prove to them all what we can do."Courtney's eyes widened as she take in my suggestion. "You mean... we could cook everything ourselves?"I nodded, warming to my own idea. "Exactly. We could divide into teams, each handling different dishes. It wouldn't be too overwhelming that way, and just think how impressed everyone would be. No idle daughters-in-law here! And I also want to impress Kingsley's parents."A slow smile spread across Courtney's face as she slowly took in my idea, liking it. "Ariel, that's... that's brilliant! We could really pull this off, couldn't we?""Absolutely,"
For a split second, I was sure this was it. That this was the end. But the searing pain that I expected didn't pierce through me as she shot her rifle; I felt nothing. Instead, I heard a thud behind me. Opening my eyes, I turned my head slightly and saw the deer that I wanted to shoot earlier had been shot to the ground, not five feet from where I stood.My face felt cold, drained of all color as I breathed out in relief. I just stood at the same spot as my body was still trembling uncontrollably from the shock. Turning back to Ashley, I saw she had lowered her rifle, and I could see that wicked smile still playing on her lips."What's wrong, Ariel?" she asked, her voice dripping with mocking concern. "Did you think I was going to shoot you? I was just trying to get that deer beside you. Silly girl."My fists clenched at my sides as rage bubbled up beneath the fear I had felt earlier. How dare she? How dare she toy with me like this? But before I could find my voice, Ashley turned on
~~~~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'
"Dad!" I ran toward him.But one of the cops stepped in front of me, blocking me from getting in contact with my father. "Ma’am, please stay back.""Step aside this right now!" I shouted, my fury boiling over. "Do you have any idea of what you’re doing!""We have a warrant for his arrest and any interference on your part could be considered as an obstruction of justice. So I will advise you to step aside, ma'am.” the cop stated firmly but I didn’t care.I still tried to move past him. "This is ridiculous! Show me the evidence that he actually did all these!" But the officer blocked my path again.Then another cop who seemed to be in a higher rank than those in front of me, approached me. He introduced himself as Thomas and gave me a paper.I glared at him angrily before snatching the paper from his grip. My hand trembled as I scanned the accusations written in it. I just couldn't believe any of it. My father would do no such.I shook my head.” This is all bullshit. He’ll not do some