I breathed heavily, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might burst from my chest. My legs ache and sweat trickled down my back, sticking my shirt to my skin. I had never climbed a hill before, let alone one this steep but I had no choice as Mrs. Brooks lived up here, and I needed to see her. Regret hit me hard as I glanced down at my high heels. What exactly was I thinking to even wear this? No, this is obviously not my fault. That stupid secretary of mine never mentioned anything about her living in the mountains or any climbing when he told me where to find her. "Of all the places in the world, why did she have to live here?" I muttered angrily, bending down to yank off my heels. My feet throbbed as they met the rocky ground, but I didn’t care. Barefoot was better than breaking my ankles in those shoes. After what felt like hours; though it was probably just forty minutes later—my throat was parched and my mouth was now dry as sandpaper. I could even hear my legs scre
Getting outside Mrs Brooks house, I whirled around to face him. “Are you working with my uncle to get back at me?” He raised an eyebrow. “Working with your uncle? Really, Maya? You of all people should know me better than that. Sweetheart, I don’t work with people who think they can boss me around. I’m my own boss. Always have been.” “ Have told you several times, to stop calling me that. You can say that to your wife at home not me.” I warned, running my hand through my long wavy hair. I hated that he was right as I know that Lance was many things—arrogant, infuriating—but he wasn’t anyone’s lackey. He will never bow for anyone, so I doubt he was trying to get the land for my uncle. I don't even care about why he is getting it but what I’m angry about is that it was him of all people. “Then what do you want?” I snapped, crossing my arm on my chest. He leaned against the porch railing, his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Simple. I want you to approve my contract.” I stared at him
~~KINGLSEY'S POV~~ As I stepped out of the car and entered the company's glass doors, the usual routine greeted me: people bowing their heads slightly in deference. But my attention was totally elsewhere as a fire of rage was already burning within me. With one hand in my pocket and the other clutching my iPad, my gaze was fixed on a picture that made my blood boil. Right now, I was seeing the image of Maya kissing the very man who had torn her clothes at the party last time—her ex-husband. I knew that guy seemed familiar when I first saw him at the party, but I wasn’t able to recognize him immediately because of how tense thing we're at that moment. It was after the party that I checked his picture again and remembered that he was Maya's ex-husband. My grip tightened on the device as I stared at the two of them together, with the guy's hand all over her. Seeing them together makes me angry as I had thought Maya had cut all ties with him after everything that he had done to h
As soon as my car stopped, Maya emerged from her vehicle, walking towards mine. She wore a turquoise blue long gown that hugged her curves, her long wavy dark brown hair flowing behind her as she moved with a sensual grace. She looked quite stunning, especially her long wavy hair. Back then, Maya used to have a short, shoulder-length cut with bangs as she always claim she didn't have time to maintain long hair and I was very surprised when she told me she was growing it out three years ago.. As Almond saw her approaching, he quickly got out and opened the door for her. “ Thanks.” Maya slid in and the car zoomed off again. As she adjusted in her seat, I arched my brow at her, silently asking why her car was parked on the side of road with her secretary standing like a statue. Noticing my expression, Maya answered, "Seriously? Can you just stop looking at me like that? I just thought it would be nice if we arrived together. That's why I stopped here, waiting for you." "
I hesitated for a second looking at the handkerchief he stretched to me, then chuckled at his bold action. "Thanks," I said, taking the cloth from him. As I was drying my hands, he spoke up again. " Is that your fiancé? She looked beautiful in her wedding dress. Was it a love marriage? Because that's what's common this days." As I heard that, my hands stopped moving and my grip on the handkerchief tightened, my knuckles turning white. I knew what he was trying to say but the reason why he would Intentionally came her and try to provoke me with his presence here, was something I had no idea of. But seeing him like this, with the expression on his face, I did know one thing; the guy before me had no idea that I knew about his shitty past with the woman I was getting married to and just trying to get some shit out of me. But two can play at this game. I forced a smile onto my face. “Oh yeah, we've been in love since childhood and been stuck together for a while. Soulmates, yo
The car stopped at the edge of the old forest path near our penthouse, which wasn’t far from where we were. As Maya and I got out of the car, I told the driver and Almond to stay behind while Maya and I walked to the spot where we buried the time capsule. Back then, we wrote a message to our future self and I didn't really think I remembered what I wrote again as it's been years already. We reached the giant oak tree in Whispering Meadows, the one we used to call our "Secret Fortress”; we named everything here and Maya’s face lit up with a mix of excitement and nostalgia as she searched for the exact spot where we buried it while I just stood still, watching her. "I can’t believe our old hideout is still here after all these years because I remember your dad saying he wanted to turn it into a resort." “That’s true, but that's back then because now…I own it,” I replied, feeling proud as I recalled what I went through to acquire this place, filled with so many good memories. “R
~~MAYA'S POV~~ The color drained from my face as Kingsley mentioned Lance's name. I had no idea that Kingsley knew about my marriage to Lance all those years ago, and never once had he called me or even met me. When I went to Italy and pretended to have lost contact with him, I found it hard to believe that he would just accept that so easily without even doubting my words. "But... how...?" I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper. "I have my ways, but that's not important right now. What's important is that you should be honest with yourself... and with me, for once. So, do you still have feelings for him or not?" Now that I thought about it, it seemed quite weird for the Bane family not to have found out if I was actually in Italy or not in all those years I was married to Lance. And with the way Kingsley knew about him, it seemed like he was the one who had been helping me and hiding it from his parents. "I understand your silence more than you think. Your heart...
I stared at my reflection in the mirror, trying to calm my happiness down. A smile spread across my face as my mind drifted off to my conversation with Kingsley at the penthouse the other day. Finally, everything was now falling into place. We are having our engagement party in two days and getting married a week after. Soon, Bella would call me "mommy" for the first time in my life; something I had been dreaming of since the day she was taken from me. This was the best thing that had ever happened to me as I never even thought this day would come so fast. But thinking about her now, my fingers trembled as I fastened the clasp of my necklace and I imagined Bella's expression when I confessed everything to her. I knew Bella might hate me for a while once she learned the truth as I had already planned to tell her once we were ready to adopt her. But I just hoped that she would forgive me and understand that I only wanted to protect her as I couldn’t bear the thought of her bein
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