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Chapter Fifty-six
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TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Fifty-Seven
I was wrong.My mother reacted better than I thought, even a little too well for my comfort. I despise the fact that I couldn’t read her as well as she read me. She told me her thoughts through the expression on her face, because she never had any expression on her face. She was always so composed and straight. It was chilling. Fortunately for me and unfortunately for her, none of us—neither I nor Hermione—took after her in this aspect. I think I was a good businessman, but she would always beg to differ. I was the worst businessman alive, and that was solely because I did not know how to land cold deals like her or trick partners into doing business with us while we gained more and they just lost. I was even too tired to think of why she was so composed when I had just given her the most shocking news of the century. “Lana West is the CEO.” I had announced. “And for that, I’m sorry, but I could not get her to agree to a meeting.” She had simply taken a sip from the china set on t
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Fifty-Eight
Cameron was leaving, but I didn’t want to let go of him just yet. I tucked my arms around him and rested my head on his chest for just a few more minutes. His lips found my forehead, and he placed a light kiss there. It felt warm; it felt like home, and now my home was leaving. “I wish you didn’t have to go.” I murmured softly. But he has to, didn’t he? First, he has spent too much time away, and any more time he spends away would be seen as dereliction of duties and neglecting his position.Cameron slipped his hand under my chin, tilting my face up to meet his gaze. “I know, Lana. Believe me, I wish I could stay too. But you know how it is with the company. They need me back in Black Bricks.“I understand, Cameron. Even a CEO has rules to follow. That doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want you to go.” I sighed. It was just a few weeks, and I had started to get used to him being here. “The twins will miss you.” I added.His fingers caressed my face gently. “I know. Tell them that
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Fifty-Nine
Andre’s POVThe morning came too early, and after last night, my body felt like it needed sleep, but my mind tried to remind me of all the things I needed to do today. There was the visit to that hospital, which I had taken Lana to more than a year ago. Hopefully, they’ll be able to tell mewhat I wanted to hear, and possibly they’ll confirm my suspicions. Then, I also needed to get ahead of whatever my mother was planning for Lana. That woman never had something good up her sleeves; maybe see Lana? Seeing her yesterday only made me realise how much I wanted her. I turned to my side, not on the bed, and almost groaned when I saw Kathy there. Lana should have been here instead; I could remember that sense of peace I used to feel whenever I woke up to Lana by my side. I had taken it for granted, though; never again. “Look who’s up.” Kathy said it with a smile. “Good morning, sleepy head. Last night was good; all the more reason why I should rethink that divorce thing.” She pushed he
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Sixty
The smell of disinfectant hit me as we made our way through the hospital lobby. I scrunched my nose and stole a glance at Kathy. Damn, I hated this place. How long has it been since I was last here? If I recall clearly, the last time I was here was over a year ago when I brought Lana to the hospital. We made our way to the receptionist desk, which held a petite, brunette nurse. She glanced up as we approached, but her fingers continued tapping away at the keyboard. I cleared my throat. “Excuse me, miss,” I began. “I’m here to inquire about a patient who was treated here about a year and a half ago.”The nurse, whose name I saw from the tag on her chest to be Angela Lackerman, nodded and offered us a polite smile. Her eyes strayed to Kathy and then back to me. “Of course,” she answered. “I’d be happy to assist you.” She looked at her computer screen. "Do you have the patient’s name and any other relevant information?”“Uhh, yes.” I responded. “Her name is Lana West. But she might hav
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Sixty-One
The nurse, whose name was Jeannie, was a petite, fine lady in her early or mid-thirties. She had round, wide-set eyes that crinkled when she smiled; it looked like she smiled a lot; her hair was held in a ponytail above her head; and her lips were curled in a warm smile. “Good afternoon.” She greeted me warmly as she met Kathy and me. We were seated on one of the benches in the reception. Another nurse whose name I had forgotten to ask had offered to call Jeannie Daniels for us, and minutes later, she appeared. “I was told you wanted to see me.” I nodded and stood to my feet. “I did. Is there any place more private where we can talk?” Her brows shot to the sky, and a frown appeared on her face. That frown did not suit her. “I’m sorry.” I added it immediately. “Forgive my manners; my name is Andre Lynch, and this is my wife, Kathy Lynch.” Jeannie nodded. “Is there anything I can do for you?” She looked at the watch on her wrist. “I have a patient to attend to in ten minutes.”“We
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Sixty-Two
“Is that how you say hello to a guest?” Freda fired. “I trained you better than this, Lana.”My nostrils flared. “I guess you can say that.” I turned towards the door, hoping Gates had the sense to send in security. “Ma'am, if you don’t leave here now, I’m going to have to call security.”I saw her lips twitch at my words, and I knew she was getting upset. I didn’t care either way. There was nothing she could do to me that she hadn’t done before. I was out of her clutches now, and that was the most important thing. “You do realize who you are talking to, right?” I sighed and folded my arms around my chest. “I don’t give a damn who you are or whatever power you think you have. In my company—the company in which you are standing right now—all the power belongs to me, and I said I don’t want you here.”I picked up the phone from my desk and placed it in my ear. “Since you’re not going to leave on your own, I guess I’ll have to use force.” I punched in the numbers rapidly and waited. “P
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Sixty-Three
Seeing Freda again rattled my nerves. I could barely concentrate on my work; every time I tried to think, I heard her in my head. Her cold voice sent shivers down my spine, and my heartbeat accelerated. I had been bluffing earlier when I said I did not fear her; it was only the rush of adrenaline speaking.Now that I was calm and settled, I felt fear. It seeped through my bloodstream and attacked my heart until all I saw were illusions of Freda taking my children away from me. She had on a sinister smile, and every time I tried to fight back, I would only sip deeper into the quicksand—a trap that she had set for me to keep me from reaching my children. The more I tried to move, the deeper I sank. And her loud laughter roared everywhere around me. It was a nightmare that I saw even with my eyes wide open and would continue to see if I did not act quick enough. A warm hand touched me, jolting me from the daydream that I had fallen into. “Hey, are you okay?” Sally asked. “You look quit
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter Sixty-Four
“We are gathered here today to commend the soul of our departed mother, sister, wife, and friend, Mrs. Hillary Sanders, into your loving arms,” the priest droned. I stood stoically by Sally’s side, offering her the support I was sure she needed.I pressed down on her palm, which was intertwined with mine, and offered her a small smile, noting her red-rimmed eyes. She had been crying; all of us had been crying, and I was sure that the small mascara that I had applied this morning would have decorated my face. Although I had told myself that I would shed no tears, especially since I was being a pillar of support for Sally, I couldn’t help the tears that made their way to my eyes whenever I glanced down at the freshly dug grave. “Mrs. Sanders had been a remarkable woman.” The priest was still speaking, but my mind seemed to be filtering out his words. I fingered the rose that was held in my other hand and thought of all the times my father had taken me to the Sanders’ house to enjoy di
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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
