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Chapter One hundred and seventy-three
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TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and seventy-four
Lana’s POV“Thank you for coming, everyone.” Fred's voice sounded melancholic. Although his expression was stoic, it was not hard to see that he was hurting and that the cool facade, which he was trying very hard to keep up, was slipping. “This way, please.” A lady, who I assumed to be the cremator’s assistant, gestured towards a narrow hallway. “How are you holding up?” As we all staggered behind the assistant, I whispered to Fred. “You should join us for dinner after this. We’re not close, but I’ll not advise that you should be alone during this period.”Fred opened his mouth to speak; the look on his face said he was going to turn down my request, but Cameron chipped in. “She’s right. A dinner after all this is over would be a good way to send her off with only good memories, and you should be there. Grieving all alone can be hard, and we would love to be there for you.”The atmosphere around the crematorium was sombre when we arrived. The assistant who had escorted us into the
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and seventy-five
Lana’s POVThe diner was only several kilometres from the cemetery, and by the time we arrived, it was almost dusk. Still, I made sure to send Fred updates by the minutes just to ensure that he did not forget to join us once he was done and lost his way. Although the place seemed to have stood for a long time, it appeared to have undergone recent reconstruction—I had no idea how it had looked before—and this made it appear quite appealing to the eyes. Cameron held my hand as we trudged into the place, and for the first time since our day began, my stomach rumbled. I had not even realised I was that hungry. The smell of coffee, spices, tangy vinegar wafting off fresh coleslaw, and melted butter wafted through the air and into our noses as soon as we stepped through the thingy curtains, and a hard-looking waitress in a brown and white uniform met us at the door, featuring us towards one of the boots nestled against the newly painted walls and large windows.From here, we had a view
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and seventy-six
Lana’s POV “All this is so surreal.” I voiced. “I still find all of this hard to believe. My father was so...”.Fred's face hardened. "Your father abandoned us.” He spat. “He chose his other family over us. That's the story as I know it. For a long time, I was upset and bitter; I still am."I hung my head. “I’m sorry.” Although I had no idea what I was sorry for, I had no idea about anything that was or had been happening, but still, I felt the need to fall on my knees and claw at his feet till he softened his heart and forgave my family.Cameron interjected, "But Marcus has new information, right? Maybe it can shed more light on what really happened."Marcus nodded. "Yes, but it's circumstantial. The only person who might have a concrete story is Freda, André's mother. And she's not exactly on our side."Andre sighed. “I wonder how all of this relates to Freda.”“She was my mother’s best friend.” Fred answered, and all our eyes turned to him. “They were friends for the longest of ti
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and seventy-seven
Lana’s POV I woke up the next morning with a renewed sense of calm, happiness, and all-round happiness. The sky above was clear, reflecting my mood, and the day looked promising. Sally and I spent the first half of the morning preparing our plans for the day: the places we were going to visit, the shops we would patronise, and the provisions we would get. In all, the day promised to be quite eventful and filled with fun activities. It was going to be our last day in Cartonica before we once again returned to our realities—the harshness of it—and it was only right that we spent the day doing something fun. As for the men, they would spend the day while we were away preparing for our return (I had no idea of the things they might have already planned out, but I was sure it was going to be something naughty and childish). Once we returned from our trip to all the beautiful places in Cartonica, we should visit the beach as a group, and after that, we would meet Cameron’s family for one
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Seventy-eight
Lana’s POV Finally, I would return to reality, with all its challenges and responsibilities.Cameron took my hand as we walked back to our suite. “You okay?”“Yeah,” I said, squeezing his hand. “I'm just going to miss this place.”“We’ll come back,” he promised. “And who knows? Maybe someday we’ll find a way to stay longer.”I smiled at the thought. As much as I loved Cartonica, it was the people I shared it with that made it special.***The next morning, the sense of calm and happiness from the day before was replaced by a bittersweet feeling. As we packed our bags, preparing to leave Cartonica, the reality of our departure sank in. Cameron, Andre, Marcus, and I were returning to Hastvin, while Sally was still bent on staying behind for a few more days or weeks of vacation. Perhaps even months. The truth was that I would miss her, and if there was a way, I would have tried to walk her out of this decision she had come to. But she was right. In the last few months, a lot had happe
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Seventy-nine
Lana’s POVThe news hit me like a freight train.“Your child has been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.”Suddenly, I felt like the floor had been pulled from beneath my feet. My leg wobbled, my vision spun, and my throat felt like someone was squeezing too tight. I could not breathe, and the tears in my eyes would not let me see anything. “What?” It was me who spoke, but I could not recognise the voice as mine. “What?”I was on the ground when I came, and Cameron was gripping my arm, saying words that I could neither hear nor understand. The doctor was speaking too, but nothing registered. All I could hear was the continuous ringing in my ears and the echo of the doctor's words. Lymphoblastic leukaemia...Your child was diagnosed... Lymphoblastic leukaemia.My eyes stayed on my daughter, where she lay on the bed, small, frail, almost lifeless, her breathing shallow. It has barely been a day since she fell ill, but she already looked so gone. “What… what can we do?” I hea
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Eighty
Andre’s POV I took her hands in mine, my eyes pleading. “Lana, this isn’t about complicating things. It’s about giving Zoe the best possible chance. If there’s even a small possibility that my blood could be a better match, we owe it to her to find out. Please, let me do this.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at me. The fear and desperation in my voice mirrored her own. “Andre, I…” “Lana, please,” I said, my grip tightening. “For Zoe’s sake, Let me be tested. Let me know if I can help her.” She took a deep breath, her mind racing. This wasn’t just about the past or our unresolved issues. This was about Zoe and giving her the best chance at life. She nodded slowly, wiping away her tears. “Okay, Andre. I’ll talk to the doctor.” The next few hours were a blur of activities. Nurses bustled in, explaining the procedure to me as they prepped me for the blood test. I sat still, the sterile smell of antiseptic filling my nostrils as a nurse drew a vial of my blood. Lana and C
TOO GOOD TO LEAVE TOO BAD TO STAY Chapter One hundred and Eighty-one
Lana’s POV Zoe’s fingers gripped mine, and the nervousness that she felt as the doctor took us through the bone marrow transplant process seeped slowly into me. It was as though I were a sponge, soaking in everything. “Since Andre is a match,” the doctor explained. “We would take stem cells from his bone marrow to help fight the leukaemia.” His gentle eyes stayed on Zoe’s face and then mine. “This is a complex procedure, but if it’s successful, then we would have achieved our main aim.”Zoe looked up at me, her eyes wide with fear and curiosity. “Mommy, is it going to hurt?”I forced a reassuring smile, pushing back the wave of emotions that threatened to overwhelm me. “We’ll make sure you don’t feel any pain, sweetie. And Daddy and I will be right here with you the whole time. You’re going to be brave, just like always.”The doctor continued, “We’ll need to run some tests to make sure she is ready for the transplant. These tests will help us understand her health better and prepare
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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
