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Chapter One hundred and Eighty-eight
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TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Eighty-nine
Cameron’s POV “Did you get any sleep at all?” I asked, slipping into a stool beside her. Although I had hurried over everything, I had tried to catch some sleep, but it had not been up to thirty minutes. Still, it felt like it had come a long way. Darby poured a cup of coffee from the kettle and passed it to me. “Did you?”I pulled the coffee cup closer, cradling it as the warmth seeped through my fingers. I shrugged and placed the cup on my lips, allowing the air to play with my senses. “I’ll have as much sleep as I want when Lana and Zoe return home.”I took another sip of the coffee. “By the way, do you think we should stop by Lana’s place and check on Joe? Maybe bring him with us. Zoe is getting better already, and they’ve been apart for so long.” “I guess we could do that? He and Lana have only been talking on the phone these past few days, and I’m sure she misses him.” She sighed heavily. “Ahhh... I really cannot wait for all of this to be over so you all can tell me how Andr
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Ninety
Lana’s POV I wanted nothing other than to go home, take a long, cold shower, eat at least five bowls of ice cream, then lay down and sleep for a week, but all these were mere imaginations. That was the only place they could exist freely, in my thoughts. For now...The past few weeks have been hectic for all of us. After the preparation and then the transplant, we had all put our all into making sure that Zoe recovered fully and properly. Even Joe was not left out. He had insisted he do something to help his sister recover quickly. Now, we had only a few days until we were discharged and could finally return home and to our personal and individual realities, but the life that was waiting outside of this hospital seemed even more daunting. I had no time to rest... We all had no time to rest.Once I got out of here, I was to resume work immediately to try to make up for all the days I had missed. I would be going from one meeting to the next, jumping from one meeting with an investor
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Ninety-one
Lana’s POV “Fred is here?” The words tumbled out of my mouth, and my heart skipped a beat. I raised my brow at Sally, wondering if she was really serious or if this was a prank to get back at me for leaving her in the dark about Zoe’s health. “What? You don’t believe me?” She straightened her trousers and beamed at me. “I believe by now Cameron would have met him already.”I started towards the door, abandoning all the clothes I had been folding in a heap on the bed. “Fred is really here?” I needed to see him. That was all I thought as I bounded out of the door and into the hospital hallways. Sally had not been lying. Neither had she been trying to pull my legs. Fred was really young, and he looked extremely good in that brown tailored suit. It looked as though he had gotten a hair cut recently and ditched the glasses. He had been sitting with Cameron, Darby, and the children when I arrived, but as soon as his eyes fell on me, he stood to his feet and his mouth stretched into a sm
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and ninety-two
Lana’s POV I found Andre standing by the window in one of the hospital’s quiet lounges. I swallowed as I approached him, clenching and unclenching my fist to at least relieve some of the tension that I felt. I had searched everywhere in the hospital for him, and during that time, I had gone over everything I would say to him, but now that I saw him, the words would not come. They hung in the space between my throat and my tongue, and no matter how much I tried to push them forward, they just wouldn’t bulge. How do I tell a man to go against his own mother? How do I convince him to stand before the world and say the world’s might send her to prison for the rest of her lives?I stood at the door for a while, watching him. I was questioning myself and wondering if this was where I was going to stop. If it was right to stop here and not get my father’s company back from Freda as I had promised,. I had a good life now, did I not? I had a family with Cameron, Sally, Darby, and Fred—peopl
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Ninety-three
Lana’s POV André took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the floor. “I found it after I logged back into our database back in Cartonica, so I’ve known for a while. I thought I was protecting her by keeping it to myself. I wanted to protect her.”I placed my hand on his knee, offering comfort in the best way I could. “It is something about Freda and her operations.”I tightened my grip on his knee; my patience was beginning to run thin. “What is it, André?" Please, just tell me.”When he looked up at me, his eyes were filled with a mixture of guilt, embarrassment, and shame. I felt sorry for him. Sorry that he had to have someone like Freda as a mother; sorry that he had honed all his life convinced that he was doing the right thing. “It’s not just the money laundering, Lana. There’s evidence of her manipulating your father’s board members for years. She has dirt on all of them—blackmail material. That’s one of the reasons why none of them will testify against her. They’re all scared s
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and ninety-four
Lana’s POV We did not stay in the hospital for long after that night. Three days later, we were discharged after more tests had been run, and they were sure that Zoe was perfectly healthy. We began preparations to leave the hospital, and now, almost one week later, we were throwing a party to celebrate health. Zoe’s health.The sound of laughter and clinking glasses filled the air. I had invited about a handful of people. All close family and a few friends, then some of Zoe’s classmates who had sent her gifts to the hospital. The past month was hard, but I could not forget those who stood by me and supported me during the hard times. The nanny and most of the other home employees had spent the night and part of the day adorning the house with colourful decorations, and the children ran around, their joyous giggles adding to the festive atmosphere. I was moving through the crowd, greeting guests and ensuring everyone was comfortable, when I spotted Sally standing by the kitchen isla
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
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
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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
