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CHAPTER SEVEN
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TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY CHAPTER EIGHT
Cars sped on the highway with reckless abandon, and my eyes followed them. In my mind, we were playing a game—one that I had created and was yet to give a name to—and I would follow their light as they sped by, and they would help keep my eyes from straying to Cameron’s face. I could not bear to see the look of pity on his face after the story that I had told him. The story of how I got to be in this situation, of how I lost everything and, on top of that, became a mother to two children,. Cameron was yet to speak. What could he say? What could he do that would change the course of events that occurred just after our college years? There was nothing for any of us to say, and we just sat there and watched the road. The food he had ordered was sitting between us, cold and untouched. “I’m sorry, Lana.” He started. “You had to go through all of this.”I smiled sadly, but my eyes remained on the road. “Everyone has had their share of life, I’m sure.” I replied. He took my hand, which r
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY CHAPTER NINE
Cameron had stayed with me longer than I expected. We went home and talked about our time in school, but we did not notice how much time flew by. I was grateful for his visit, even if at first I had dreaded it. But seeing a familiar face again after so long reminded me of my own existence. Once, I had a past that was not strewn with suffering. I had been a bit disappointed when Cameron announced that he should be leaving. It was almost as though I did not want the day to come to an end. Cameron had not judged me, not one. He had sympathised with me, and that was all. He had not thought me weak or hinted at my foolishness when I told him about how I gave everything up for love. Instead, he had called it the circle of life. Explaining that most people did worse things for the sake of love and only realised later how much they'd given up. “But that is how life is.” He had said: “We made mistakes so that we can learn from them and do better when presented with such a situation again.
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY CHAPTER TEN
Monday arrived quite fast. I had taken the rest of the week to prepare adequately for the resumption. I stopped in front of the mirror, and the woman stared back at me. She was beautiful, determined, resilient, and confident, and she was me. I held my hair in a neat, tight bun over my head and left a few strands to fall over my face.I was keen on creating a good first impression, but I did not want to appear overly serious. For my clothes, I dug into my old clothes. I still had a few luxury dresses—the ones I had not sold off—and most of them still fit. I wore long suit pants that were tight from the stomach down to the knees and free from there, and I tucked in a blue shirt. I did not put too much make-up on my face; using only lip gloss and mascara, I felt I was ready to go. I stepped out of my room, taking in the empty house. Darby had taken the twins to her restaurant early this morning. She had wished me all the luck before she left. I grabbed my bag, which sat on the couch,
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY CHAPTER ELEVEN
The CEO was gone, I was told. I was away on a business trip, so therefore, I had the whole of this floor to myself. I imagined what it would be like. Is he coming back to learn of my employment, or did he already know of it?I shook my head as though the action would help dispel the thought from my mind. It did. The office that I had been given was quite bare. It was as though it had not been used before, but I knew better. I could smell the hints of paint that had been used on the walls in an attempt to mask the presence of the office’s previous owner. The book cabinet and file storage are new, along with the desk and seats, which I now occupy. Arranged neatly on the large desk were a stash of sticky notes, a name tag, which carried my full name and position, a folder that I had yet to open, a desktop, a smaller laptop in the corner, and a tablet, which I assumed to be the advanced equivalent of a jotter and planner. I picked up the name tag and pinned it to my chest. It looked goo
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY CHAPTER TWELVE
I heard the blast of the speakers from the ground floor, and I could tell what room the sound was coming from. The waiting boy, who had been changed no more than seven times since taking up residence here (yes, I kept counting), gave me a strange expression. I smiled at him. Darby had the children in her arms and was gliding across the room. I believe I can fly because R. Kelly was playing and she sang along. I smiled and walked to a couch. She had not even noticed me come in. “Darby.” I shouted, trying to raise my voice above the blasting speakers and hers too. “Darby!!” I shouted again, but she could hardly hear me. Sighing, I stood up from the chair and approached her. “Darby.” I touched her arm, and she jumped. Quickly, I took the children from her while she picked up the remote and turned off the audio player. “You startled me.” She said this, putting her hand on her chest. “When did you come in?”I shook my head disapprovingly. “I could hear the speakers from four blocks aw
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I looked through the evidence Mrs. Sanders had faxed to me, and I was amazed and upset. I was amazed at how much Andre and his family had really fooled me and used me while still treating me like trash, and I was upset that I had endured foolishly and allowed them to use me like that. Although the evidence had a lot of information, I knew it would hold no weight in court, especially with how powerful Andre and his family were and how helpless I would be if I went again now. I needed to gather more evidence and build myself up until I was sure I was ready to face them. I jumped when I heard a knock on my office door and quickly hid the files in the drawer attached to the desk. I arranged myself quickly; this was the first time I would be receiving a guest in my new office. “Please.” I sat down and pretended I was working. “come in.”The door opened slowly, and a small man peeked through. I raised a brow. Then the door opened wider, and I saw that he was with Paula, the HR manager. I
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Once, when I was just a little girl, my father brought me to his office. It was not ‘take your child to work day’; it was just something he had decided to do, and that day had moved on to become the best day of my life. My father had packed in the garage below the company’s building, in the executive spot reserved for people like him, and then we had made our way into the company’s building. My father’s company had been huge—not as big as BlackBrick, of course, but in my small eyes, it was the biggest building I had ever seen. People respected my father then—they stopped while he passed, bowed their heads, and stuff. I had thought they respected him just because that was how it was supposed to be, but I came to learn later on, when I was much bigger, that they respected him because of his position, and if he were to lose that position, he would also lose all the respect that came with it. My father sat us down in his office and began to show me things about the company on his compu
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Cameron called again. I don’t know what this feeling within me is, but it is similar to what I used to feel for André before everything. It is tingly, and it tickles. Well, since I was smiling through the entirety of the call for no good reason, I must watch myself. It would be wrong for me if I, with my eyes wide open and a past full of experiences, allowed myself to repeat Andre all over again. We would not be able to meet tomorrow anymore. Cameron and I. He had to reschedule his flight because something came up. I did not mind. I was almost late for work myself. I rushed through preparing the kids for Darby and rushed through breakfast.Darby arrived just as I was about to leave. She had a frown on her face. “Good morning, Darby.” I greeted her with a smile on my face and placed a kiss on her face. “I’ve prepared them. Their food is in the warmer, and I packed their clothes and extra nappies. They’re in the bag.”I rushed to the door. Darby was saying something, but I was not l
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TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Two hundred and three
Andre’s POV Two Years LaterMy mother was upset that I had gone behind her back to sabotage her. To sell her company to that little brat—that is what she refers to Lana as now—who knew nothing about business, but I did not have to tell her that it was either that or see her remanded in prison. To watch everything I had and everyone I loved taken away from me. I did not need to tell her that we were lucky we had a choice. The poor girl had no choice back then and had to take life as it was handed to her. My mother would live—abort sourly—but at least she would still live. We could build back the company even if it took a long time. Thankfully, all she had back then was a minor heart attack. As for the little brat, Lana, she and Cameron got married two years ago and have spent the last two years of their marriage touring the world.I was envious of the love they found. The comfort they gave each other, the strength in their numbers, but as time went on, I too was beginning to live wi
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Two hundred and two
Lana’s POV The house was still the same way I remembered it. The chairs, the arm stool, and the and the settees All of the arrangements were still the same, and it struck a chord of familiarity within me. I settled into the plush armchair and watched Andre move towards the bar, his demeanour calm and composed. It was hard to reconcile this composed man with the man I had known years ago. Andre returned with a glass of red wine, just the way I liked it. He handed it to me, then sat across from me. “Have you come to a conclusion regarding what we discussed?” I crossed my legs, one above the other, and stared blankly at him. “Regarding what exactly? The only thing I remember that we have yet to talk about are the kids and how we’ll split their days between us. Other than that, I don't think we have any unfinished business. Except you are talking about signing the documents, which would see me as the new CEO of Ranhold.” Andre heaved a long sigh and rubbed his temples. Was he beginnin
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Two hundred and one
Lana’s POV We spent the next week gathering evidence against Freda and meeting with potential witnesses who could testify against her if we were to take her to court, but it seemed as though that would not be needed. It was some time towards the end of the week when what was going to be our break happened. It came in the form of André getting a recognition award. I had no idea what his relationship with Freda had been like following everything that had happened lately, so I cannot talk about that. But upon receiving the award, Freda was so happy with her son that she decided to allow him to make certain decisions that regarded the leadership of Ranhold. In the past, André had been nothing but a figurehead. Although he sat in the CEO position, his mother, Freda, usually handled all the decision-making, and everyone knew this. He was useless, and if it was important that his signature be appended to a document, he had to get permission from Freda first before doing it. But now, all
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Two hundred
Lana’s POV Back at my apartment, we laid out all the new information we had gathered. It felt like we were finally making progress, and the weight of uncertainty was beginning to lift. But then a call entered my phone, which was going to either bring everything crashing down on us again or continue pushing us forward.We had laid everything on the table in front of us, and we were about to start sitting through them when the ringtone of my phone shattered through the peace, quiet, and anxiety that had settled over us. Sighing and thinking it was from one of my colleagues at Lukem, I pulled the phone from my pocket and paused when I saw the caller ID displaying on my screen.“Hmmm... Andre.” I said it out loud, alerting the other guys to who the caller was. Without waiting for their response, I swiped on the screen and placed the phone in my ear. “Hey, Andre.” I greeted. “What’s going on?”“I found something.” He announced. From over the phone, I could not make out the time of his vo
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Ninety-nine
Lana’s POV Fred smiled warmly, taking a seat beside Clara. “It’s been a long time, Aunt Clara. We have so much to catch up on, but there’s something important we need to ask you about first.”Clara looked at him. “Of course, anything. What do you need to know?”Fred glanced at me, and I handed Clara the letter. “We found this among my father’s papers. It mentions a promise to protect you. We need to understand what happened.”Clara took the letter and began reading it. As she read through it, I noticed the change in her expression. She took a deep breath and glanced up at us. “This... this brings back memories I thought I’d buried. Your mother and Mr. West were the best friends I ever had. But there was more to it, and it brought trouble or would have brought trouble had Mr. West not decided to act in what he believed to be the best interest of everyone, including your mother. Fred’s face lightened up, as did mine. “What do you mean?”Clara sighed. “Secrets.” She whispered. “Anne an
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and ninety-eight
Lana’s POVFred shrugged. “She hinted at societal expectations and family obligations,” he replied. “But she didn’t give specifics. I think she knows a lot more than she’s letting on.”I nodded slowly. “My father never mentioned anything about your mother or you and Kathy. And I started going through his papers; maybe I would find something.”Fred’s expression softened. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way, but it is not to be helped. I cannot say I know how you feel or what you are feeling right now. Finding out that a person you think you know has another side, which you have no idea of, can really do something to you.”I reached out and touched Fred’s hand briefly. “We’ll figure it out together. I have some of my father’s old letters and documents that might help us piece things together. Maybe we can confront Freda again with more concrete questions? What do you think? Right now, she’s the only person who can give us answers, and we are not even on good terms.”We returned to m
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and ninety-seven
Narrator’s POV Freda’s smile faltered for the briefest of moments, a shadow crossing her eyes before she quickly regained her composure. She leaned back in her chair, interlacing her fingers and resting them on her desk.“That’s quite a heavy topic, Fred,” she said, her tone now more serious. “Why are you suddenly interested in this?”Fred shrugged. “Perhaps after Kathy’s death, I realised something. I just want to know why he abandoned my mother, why he chose his other family above us, and why he caused us so much pain and loss. I want to understand all of these things; perhaps it would help me forgive, let go, and move on.”A shadow of a smile crossed Freda’s face. “Ahhhh... I guess it runs in the family then.” Fred narrowed his eyes, wondering what she meant by that statement. “I don’t understand. What runs in the family?”Freda stood to her feet and approached the floor-to-ceiling window, which offered a great view of the city. From here, he could view the city’s skyline and wat
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and ninety-six
Narrator’s POV Freda’s office was located on the uppermost floor of the skyscraper that acted as Ranhold’s headquarters, a detail that made Fred pause as he stepped out of the taxi five minutes ago. He blinked against the rays of sunlight reflecting off the monolithic structure of steel and glass, momentarily blinded. The reflective surface mirrored the city below, creating an illusion of infinite depth.The other buildings around it were similar in their grandeur, each with its own unique design. For the umpteenth time since his arrival in the city, Fred was reminded of how little he had traveled. There were places outside of his known world yet to be explored, and this city of steel and glass was one of them. He had spent—wasted—five minutes entranced by the sleek, modern design, temporarily forgetting his purpose for being there.Pulling himself back to reality, he straightened his suit and approached the entrance. The revolving glass doors spun smoothly, ushering him into a grand
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Ninety-five
Lana’s POVI took tentative steps towards the bouquet. Whether unconsciously or by some reflex response in our system, we all had taken steps away from the bouquet. For some reason, we felt threatened by it. This was not the first time we would receive threats disguised as gifts, and I guess that has taught us a lesson. Slowly, I pulled out the card in the bouquet and glanced at Cameron and Sally, who both gave me curt nods. I opened it and began reading it aloud. “Congratulations on Zoe’s recovery. Best wishes for the future. – Freda.”The room fell silent as the implications of the message sank in. Sally was the first to break the silence. “Freda has acted once again. First of all, it was an almost dead bird on my door, and now congratulatory bouquet?”My grip on the card tightened. “Is this supposed to mean something?”Cameron stepped closer, resting his hand on the small of my back. “Hey, we’ll keep our guard up. She’s only trying to play mind games, but we won’t give her the sat
