We both say it at the same time. Bella raised her gaze and looked at me feeling apologetic. “No, I'm the one that is wrong. I'm not supposed to raise my voice at you when you are confiding in me.” Gently touching her cheeks, “ I'm really sorry.”“ I'm also sorry. I shouldn't have talked about my dad.”“No no, sweetheart. It's good you talk about it. It's just that …you know your mom doesn't like talking about him? So that's why I was a bit worked up. I'm really sorry.” I apologize. “It's alright, Miss Ariel. I'm not angry at you.”“ Do you really want to see your father? why?” I asked She was hesitant a little, “ Not really. Just wanted to ask why he did that to us. Why he abandoned mom and I. I wanted to asked him that.”“ Bella…”“ But now I don't want to know again.” A smile tucked the corner of her lip. “ I'm alright with you two.” With that she went to the dinning but I knew that she wasn't alright but just trying to because of what I did.I sighed heavily as I knew that I real
“ You can't live like this…hiding away like a coward all your life.”I inhaled heavily, letting her words to sink in but no matter how much I tried to brace myself…..tried to stand up again.. I just can't. I'm scared.I swallowed, forcing myself to keep a neutral expression. “All what you are saying is nothing but my past, Sophia. This…” Referring to the life and home I was now living in, “ Is my present, now and I really don’t want any connection to that world again. It's scary and I don't think I can… survive it again.” I rose, desperate to end this conversation, but her voice stopped me in my tracks.“Don’t you care about your parents? About the empire they’ve been trying so hard to hand against you? But you let it all in the hand of another man who is bound to destroy it?”“My parents?” I spat, feeling the bitterness rising up. “Sophia…” My voice cracked as tears pooled in my eyes. “They’re one of the damn reasons I’m in this mess. Their greediness and selfishness are the same rea
*****LANCE'S POV*****A heavy headache hit me hard as my eyes fluttered open. My mind was already heavy even before I woke up with this kind of headache that sat at the back of my skull and pulsed with every heartbeat. Squinting over at the bedside clock, its red digits glared back at me—11:04 a.m. I’d missed another morning.With a groan, I rolled over, reaching for my phone on the nightstand. The screen lit up, showing thsr Henry had called me for like 30 times.“ Did something happen?” I thought as I wondered but then I remembered Maya and wondered if he had found her because that's the only reason why he could have called my number urgently.I hit redial, pressing the phone to my ear, but it rang out—no answer. I tried again, and again, already feeling nervous at the news he's going to break to me.I had been searching for Maya all these months but just couldn't find any traces of her like before. I wondered why exactly she like disappearing without traces. I knew how she must hav
Maya’s voice softened as she continued, "Back then, I won’t lie..I knew about Lance and Ashley. I knew they had history since college days, but I personally witnessed how Ashley walked away when Lance proposed, saying marriage wasn’t in her plans right now.... she claimed she wanted to conquer the world first before thinking about marriage. And then she left..she left him alone and we never heard from her for years…not even after our marriage."Maya’s voice wavered for the first time, “ After we married, I faced rejection from his family. To his mother… his sister… I was always that ‘poor girl’ without a good background and nothing to contribute to the family. I was always mocked for my stature and even told that it's...shameful to them that their son married someone like me. I remembered how my sister-in-law even said she feel embarrassed to introduce me to her friends. I was never enough for their standards."As she said the last part, I heard a soft thud. Morgan had collapsed onto
“Oh, now you call me a monster?” Ashley sneered, crossing her arms. “Well, that's quite funny, because when I was paying for your trips, showering you with gifts, and even bought you a fucking car on your stupid birthday,” she turned to Mom, "and buying you designer bags, shoes, even jewelry…” Laughing bitterly, “You both didn’t seem to think I was such a monster. It’s only now, after everything, that you’ve decided I’m some kind of ‘demon in human form.’”Morgan didn’t back down. She fired back, “Did... did I ask you to do any of that? Hell no! You chose to do all of it because you wanted our support. You knew we’re never on your side, but we didn’t have a choice since you promised to save Lance’s company!”And just like that, they were off, trading barbs like they were each trying to land the final blow while mom tried to separate them. Ashley's video was already going viral. The video of the public, even her fans, turning against her and they were the reason why she came home loo
"But I'm curious about something, Mr. Wells.""What is it?""Well," she paused, letting the words lingers around. "You keep talking about a…child" She trailed off. "May I ask, which child are you referring to?"I sighed heavily, knowing exactly what she was hinting at. Yes, I knew that I had no right to ask and yet, here I was. “Maya, I know that I have no right to ask about her but..""Her?" she interrupted, her eyes widening in surprise, clearly realizing that I knew Bella was mine."Yes, her. Do you remember when we met at the beach last time? I clearly told you then… that ..that I saw a resemblance, something familiar about her. Damn, why didn’t I think deeper about it then? Why did I insist on my hunch?"Maya burst into laughter, a sharp, mocking sound that cut through the room. "Lance, what the hell are you talking about? There was no child…”“ What?”“ Yes, there's none and Bella isn’t yours. I already told you that day that she’s not yours so how could you even think that….” S
****ASHLEY'S POV****Sitting down on the floor of our bedroom, resting my back against the bed, I bit my finger nervously as scrolled through the endless sea of comments. My finger shook and my body trembled as each words…each comments just kept on searing itself into my mind like a burning brand;“ Omg! Can't even believe that I trust that slut and even wrote bad things against Ariel! I wish I can just rip her freaking lips apart for her lies!“ A home wrecker! She's such a despicable person and even go around playing victim.”“ From now on I'm no longer one of her fan. Infact, I'm now her anti-fan!”“ She better not let me see her face or else….” The comments on my pages just kept coming one after another. Through my years in being a celebrity, I had never for once had 2.5 millions comments on my page and now…I'm seeing something like that in which all of it are nothing but bad comments and even some laying curses.I will sue them all! I will make them rot in jail for cyber bullyin
Lance stood motionless for a while as he slowly turned to face me, his eyes narrowing. "What did you just say?""You heard me right," I spat back. "If you’re planning on throwing every single thing away; your company, your position, your pride — all because of some misplaced guilt over “her”... then I’m done. I want a divorce, Lance Wells. This..isn’t the kind of life I signed up for. I didn’t marry you to become the wife of your ex-wife’s lackey. Never!” I said in a determined voice as I would never be the wife of Ariel Rodrigo's personal Assistant.In their dreams.A dark, hollow chuckle escaped his lips, a sound that sent chills down my spine. He’s also mocking me. Now that I've got nothing else again, he's not treating me like trash.He stepped closer, his face inches from mine. "A divorce, huh?" He tilted his head, dripping sarcasm. "Did you just say you want a divorce?" I crossed my arms, looking away defiantly, and nodded."Then what happened to that same Ashley who sabotaged
As Lance was wheeled into the emergency center, my eyes stayed glued to him. My feet felt like they were rooted to the floor, and I just couldn’t stop shaking. I glanced down at my hand and then my dress, which was now soaked with his blood, and the scene kept replaying in my head.How he ran towards me, shouting my name. The fear in his eyes and voice as he tried to save me from danger. How the chandelier had come crashing down, but I just couldn't move at that moment because of the shock. And then he’d shoved me out of the way, making it fall on him.I sank into one of the chairs outside the emergency ward. My legs felt like jelly and were also too weak to hold me up any longer. Wrapping my arms around myself, I tried to stop the trembling.I could sense people bustling around me and voices blending into a blur. But I just couldn't look up to identify them as I wasn't in my right state of mind.Why was it at that moment that the chandelier had to fall? Why?A coat draped over my sh
“And who exactly are you to be making such demands from me?” He scoffed. “ I don't actually think you are in such position to say something like that as you have recently become one of the country clown man.” “ Have I?”“ Yes you have.” He said in a mocking tone. “ And it also seems you’re taking my warning as a joke.” Kingsley’s voice was firm, his tone dripping with authority as he dipped his hand in his pocket.I gave a short laugh, meeting his gaze. “Well, I’m sorry about that, but I hardly see such warnings as threats. You see, I’ve got nothing much to lose, so I wonder what exactly I should be scared of. You, on the other hand…” I pointed a finger at him, my voice sharpening. “You’ve got a lot to lose if you decide to make an enemy of me. So, I’ll make this simple. Leave her alone and face me.”Kingsley raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Face you? Don’t make me laugh, Lance. You’re not even worth my time. You’re just a man who couldn’t even make a proper decision for himself not to…
Across the room, Ashley and I gaze locked for a while. I could see a flickering of something I could not quite place in them. Maybe it was defiance or was it a desperate attempt to provoke a reaction. I don't really know. But if she thought she could stir jealousy in me, she was clearly mistaken as whatever feelings I once had for her were long gone, buried beneath the weight of every pain she had caused me. I nodded slightly, more to myself than to her as I felt nothing but pity for her. She really had no idea of what she was getting into by falling into Kinglsey's hand. Well that's none of my concern. Seeing that it's time as I was already feeling someone's burning gaze on me, I leaned toward Lysol. “I’ll be back in a minute,” I murmured before slipping away toward the restroom.Getting to the male section of the restroom, as I pushed open the door, the scent of citrus-scented disinfectant greeted me. I stepped inside and did a quick sweep of the stalls, trying to confirm if ther
His words hit like a slap, but I refused to falter as I didn't regret the decision I had made. I straightened my shoulders and met his cold stare. “I never said I wasn’t part of this family, Dad. I’m still your daughter and I will always be. But it's just that I’ve chosen not to follow your rules blindly anymore. That doesn’t make me any less a Roderigo.” “And yet, you dare to lecture me about the company I keep? Or about what my brother has done?” His voice dropped dangerously low. “You, who abandoned us? Atleast he's still with us ” “Abandoned?” I repeated, my voice trembling with anger. “I stood up for myself after you forced your decision on me. For once, I chose to live on my own terms, and if that offends you, so be it. But seeing you laugh and drink with the man who almost destroyed you..almost took away what belonged to you while calling himself your brother—don’t you see how hypocritical that is?” “Maya, stop,” Mom whispered, tugging at my arm gently. “Please.” But I
As the nurse entered Mia's ward, I quickly rushed after her, feeling the heat rushing to my face. My cheeks burned like wildfire, and I clenched my fists as I stormed into Mia’s ward, slamming the door shut behind me. Leaning against the door, I pressed my back against the cool wood, my chest heaving. What the fuck did I just do? Are you insane? He's your ex, how could you even think of doing that?I squeezed my eyes shut, willing myself to calm down, but it was useless. The memory of his lips on mine, the way he held me so firmly, the warmth of his breath—it all came rushing back. I raised my fingers to my lips, brushing over them lightly. They still tingled, and I hated it. Butterflies swirled in my stomach, making me feel both nauseous and... something else I didn’t want to name. And then suddenly, I felt the weight of several gazes on me, only to open my eyes and see Mia, Bella, and the nurse all staring at me. Their expressions ranged from confusion to amusement, and I ins
But I finally managed to mutter, “Oh. Well, that’s... quite unfortunate. I actually thought you and Ashley were a match made in heaven, and this is… really sad.” He let out a soft chuckle. “No, it wasn't sad, and we are not a good match. Ever since I lost a match made in heaven, I lost my entire life. And now… I want it all back. Everything.” His eyes didn’t leave mine, as though searching for something more—for me to say something. But I couldn’t find anything to say. “Is that all you have to say?” He asked.“Yes, it is. Do you want me to say something else?” My tone was sharp, each word a deliberate dagger. “I thought you’d be happy about it… I thought you’d be… you know, fine that I got what I deserved.” He’s right. I was supposed to be happy seeing them broken apart and losing everything. But now… I really didn’t feel much. I felt like I had done too much damage to him, more than he deserved, and I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him properly. But I still didn’t wa
***MAYA'S POV***"And then the tortoise said to his wife, 'If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I’m not around as I have no money to give to them,' Bella began, her small hands emphasizing the words as she read aloud."So, the tortoise hid. But minutes later, a man arrived and asked the wife, ‘Is your husband home?’ The wife replied, ‘Oh, he’s traveled far, and I doubt he’ll ever return back to this house.’ Then the man sighed and said, ‘That’s unfortunate. I came to repay a debt I owe him, but since he’s not here, I’ll keep the money.’Bella paused dramatically, leaning closer as if sharing a secret. "Hearing this, the tortoise shouted from his hiding place, ‘Wait! I’m home!’ He rushed out from his hiding place to collect the money but on seeing the man, the tortoise's smile faded as the man was actually one of his debtors.” Mia and I couldn’t help but smile as Bella acted out each character with exaggerated expressions. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she giggled, clearly
***ASHLEY'S POV***I never imagined it would end like this—a quiet, heart-wrenching conclusion where we walked away from each other for good. When I decided to step back into Lance’s life six years ago, I was determined never to let him go, never to let anyone take him from me again. But now… it’s over. Standing on the courthouse steps, I watched his figure retreating, growing smaller with each step he took down the stairs. The crisp autumn air bit at my skin, but the cold I felt ran deeper. It wasn’t the chill of the weather—it was the weight of everything that had just happened. The closure I thought I wanted had left me feeling emptier than I ever imagined. The divorce was final. The court had granted it without a fight. Lance had surprised me by agreeing to sign the papers, though he made it clear I wouldn’t get a cent of his property. I didn’t care. I never wanted anything from him but this divorce… even if getting it meant resorting to things I never thought I’d be capable of
****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