Everyone at the table smiled and nodded and the mood lightened once more. They continued discussing the engagement party, and I tried to push the incident out of my mind. But I couldn't help feeling a sense of unease. What if the truth came out? What if my secret was revealed? But I knew one thing: before the truth came out, I would have ruined Lance's life. After dinner, Kingsley and I excused ourselves from the table. The evening air embraced us as we made our way to the balcony, the stars twinkling above us and casting a soft glow over the garden. "Are you okay?" Kingsley asked gently, leaning against the railing with concern evident in his voice. I sighed, looking up at the night sky. "I'm fine. Just... thinking about everything." "Like you're not comfortable with the wedding?" "No. Of course, I am. It's just that everything is moving so fast as I just returned yesterday, and now this," I said, lowering my gaze and fidgeting with my fingers. Kingsley reached out, gently
I increased my pace and hurried to the living room. Getting there, I was shocked to see Mom slapping Mia hard across the face. Each slap sent Mia back, and she would quickly regain her composure and rush to the front of my mom again, standing in the same spot, and Mom would slap her again. My heart ached at the sight of this, and even Bella was on her knees begging Mom with tears streaming down her face. How could Mom be this cruel to do this right in front of her own granddaughter? "Please, Mrs. Roderigo, let my mother go," Bella cried, her face wet with tears. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have gone outside. Mummy told me to stay inside, but I didn't listen. I promise I'll never leave my room again, I promise." I felt my heart shatter into a thousand pieces as I watched them get punished all because Bella stepped outside and met Kingsley. Rage boiled inside me as I watched my mother continue to strike Mia without even considering poor Bella, who was begging her. I couldn't st
M-Mom," I whispered, holding my stinging cheek, my voice barely audible over the sharp, painful throb radiating across my skin. "How dare you say that to me after everything I’ve done for you? How dare you!" Her voice thundered. I couldn’t look at her, lowering my gaze as tears slipped down my cheeks. "I don’t care if you wed her father or whatever foolish choices you’ve made," she hissed, her words laced with venom. "But mark my words—nothing good will come if you continue defying me. I forgave you once; don’t think I’ll do it again. Choose your words and actions wisely, or you’ll regret it." With that, she turned on her heel, her footsteps echoing as she stormed out of the room. I stood there, rooted in place, unable to move, my heart pounding. I wasn’t sure how I finally managed to make my way to my bedroom, but before I knew it, I was slamming the door shut behind me. I stumbled over to the bed and collapsed onto it, burying my face in the pillows as a fresh wave of tears overt
~~ASHLEY~~I adjusted the collar of my blouse, trying to keep my composure as I sat across from Nora Bane who was on the phone, talking with someone. With the bright smile on her face, I could guess she's a close friend of hers. “ Oh you mean that? Of course it is.” As they were talking, Nora suddenly glanced at me, clicking her tongue and then smiled, to which I quickly returned.I was actually called this morning to take on the modeling job for their new project called mEgan3 which they wanted to launch soon. They had moved up the date due to the reason which I didn't know about. On getting the call from her secretary, I didn't even think of having breakfast before rushing here.I waited for her to finish the call so that she could hand over the contract she was holding to me.We had both signed it, and she was just about to give it to me when her phone rang. Getting this contract was a huge opportunity— the best I’d ever had in my years in this industry. It was a modeling gig fo
The elevator doors slid open, bringing me out of my thoughts and I walked out with my head hanging low. Turning to the left side, I suddenly collided headfirst into a broad, solid chest, and I lost my balance, already falling to the ground.I shut my eyes close as my mind raced with the embarrassing image of me sprawling on the floor. But then, a strong arm quickly caught me, pulling me back from the brink of shame.I breathe out in relief, knowing that I had been saved. I slowly opened my eyes to see my savior, only to see deep blue eyes staring back at me. I found myself momentarily lost in his eyes and my breath caught in my throat as I took in his face.Of course, I knew who he was. He's Kingsley Bane and this was the first time I would ever see him this close. My heart, which had never beat faster than for Lance, suddenly began to thump so loudly that I could even hear its sound.I smiled at him, “Tha…” before I could complete my sentences, he let go of me.I stumbled backward an
“And have you saved my company yet? Have I even received a single penny from you?” he challenged, his tone sharp, making my heart sink.I stepped back, lowering my gaze as his words sting a lot. But I got him his investors back! Although I was the one behind them pulling out in the first place, but I still got them back.When I looked up again, I saw him staring at me, not with love, but with something far colder—like anger, or maybe even disgust.Wait, did he know about that? Nah, there's definitely no way he would know.Rubbing his temples, Lance sighed heavily. “You know what? Let’s not talk about this because I might really vent out my anger on you now.”He continued unbuttoning his shirt, while I stood at the same spot, looking at him as I was stunned by the way he had raised his voice at me. In the five years we’d been married, Lance had never for once spoken to me like this.I wondered what exactly changed. Did Ariel Roland really do look like his ex-wife? Because I had nev
~~ARIEL/MAYA~~I haven’t seen Bella outside for a while now. She’s locked herself in her room, refusing to come out or play and I think it’s because of what Mom did the other day.When I got to her door, I gently knocked before slowly opening it, trying to see if she's now awake but I saw her lying on her bed.“ I don't think she's awake.” I muttered, turning to leave.“ Miss Ariel,” her voice stopped me.Entering her room, I gave her a light smile as I walked over to her bed.“Good morning, hope am not disturbing your beautiful sleep?” I asked softly, not knowing if I was the one that woke her up“No, you’re not. I've been awake for a while now.” she quickly replied, adjusting herself on the bed. I sat down beside her and leaned closer to her, placing a kiss on her forehead. But looking at her, she seems to be gloomy, not like the Bella I know.“ Is there any problem? Did you had a rough night?“No, I'm fine.”“ But I feel like you are not. Are you now keeping things from me? I thou
Once we were in the car, Bryan started acting as our tour guide. Our first stop was the zoo. Bella’s eyes lit up as we walked around, looking at the animals. She pointed at the monkeys and giggled as they swung from the trees. We spent like an hour there before moving on to our next stop.We decided to go to the cinema to watch a new cartoon that had just premiered. But as the movie went on, Bella ended up crying her eyes out because the female lead, which was her favorite, died. We spent about two hours there, and I started regretting bringing her to see it. Her crying drew a lot of attention, so I had to pull my hat lower to cover my face as I carried her out of the cinema."It’s okay, Bella," I whispered, holding her close as we walked out. "Your favorite character is still alive. That’s just a movie, not real life." It took a while, but I finally managed to calm her down.Next, we headed to a playground. Seeing Bella running around, laughing, and playing brought me so much joy. It
“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
Biting my fingers like that would somehow erase all the memories that have haunting me since I woke up, I stared blankly out of the window.I could not believe that I cried like a kid. Talked too loudly right in front of everyone. And—God—I even spoke to a freaking shopping cart.Can you believe that?“Why would you even do something so embarrassing?” I muttered through clenched teeth, my face burning at the thought.I hadn’t been able to look directly at Lance's face since morning. In fact I have been avoiding him.And now, we are back on a plane heading back to Los Angeles as Bella had accidentally let it slip this morning that there was some kind of father’s contest happening today.She wasn't going to tell us if not for how she had let it slip out. I knew she found it difficult to talk about it before she knew we were her parents but what about after?I thought we have been bonding together for days now, so why didn't she say it? That they are having some activities at school an