The next morning, Ida woke up feeling tired. She couldn't fall asleep the previous night. She couldn't forget the slap on her cheek or the slap on her life. She can never forget or forgive what Claire did. She might even forgive Kevin sometime in the future. Maybe five or ten years down the line. But Claire used to be her best friend and she was like Ida's family. Her betrayal hurts the most. Ida got up and freshened up on autopilot. She quickly got dressed and pulled her hair into a tight bun. She is not much into makeup. But one look at her left cheek made her wince. Her cheek is not as swollen as it was last night. But now, it's not as swollen, but still red and tender. One side of her mouth is also a bit red and swollen. When Claire slapped her yesterday, her lower lip was split, and started bleeding. Now that the bleeding has stopped, it's still an angry red and swollen. Everyone can see this. Today she is forced to apply makeup to hide the abuse from Claire. In the Hamilton bu
"Who did this?" he demanded.Ida is both amazed and shocked. She was not expecting anyone to see past her makeup. Everyone saw how she looked and a few of them even complimented her. But no one knows that she doesn't like attracting attention to herself. She'd rather remain as a wallflower than become popular. She wanted to just work and wanted to be left alone. But still, she is forced to apply makeup and doll herself up today. 'Beauty is deceiving. Put on an expensive dress and cake your face with makeup, and done. No one will bother to look past that mask ' These are the words Kevin once told her when she expressed her apprehension of accompanying him to a party. And his idea worked too. No one bothered to look past her forced smile and the mask she wore. But she knows differently. She knows that beauty is only skin deep. A person who can look past that mask named beauty can never be bad. He is perceptive. "Ida" Leo cupped her cheeks with his fingers and gently pulled her face
One hour ago...As soon as Leo walked inside the meeting hall with Mike and Ida, everyone stood up to show their respect to the most talented and smart president of the Hamilton group. The aloof, cold, and calculating Leo Hamilton is an enigma in the business world. He is a mystery to everyone. No one managed to even scrape the surface of what Leo could do. Leo managed to turn the entire Hamilton group into profits after the demise of his father and brother one after another. People whisper that they were killed. But no one knows what the truth is. "Good morning, President Hamilton" everyone greeted him.Mike distributed the details of the quote from the Hamilton group to the Nelson group, so they can read it and there will be no confusion. While Ida arranged the head of the table for Leo. Even though Leo is ignoring her, and she wants to be anywhere but here, still they mask their emotions well and she arranges everything for him that he might need during the meeting. A few men from
Leo read the surprise that registered on her face. She looked at him with her innocent grey orbs."I can do that?" just like he thought, she asked innocently. He nodded, thinking what made her feel that she shouldn't defend herself. Ida is really surprised. She thought no one would bother about a new assistant like her. And most importantly, she doesn't want to impact the negotiations negatively. The Nelson's group is one of the groups that supply the raw materials for the Hamilton clothing business. The Hamilton clothing brand has both high-end limited edition designer wear and regular affordable wear for everyone. The Nelsons have been supplying raw materials for over ten years now. They have a great rapport with the Hamilton group. She doesn't want to damage that by upsetting them. When she was in foster care, one of her foster brothers tried to touch her forcefully when she was sleeping. But she slapped him. Instead of him, it was she who was thrown out of that foster home. No
"I..." she blushed, unable to answer his question. He is right. He traced her cheek which turned pink with embarrassment. He leaned in and kissed that pink area of her cheek. She sucked a deep breath with surprise. Her eyes were wide as saucers. He wanted to kiss her badly, but he knew he should not. She is his employee. "It's Claire, isn't it?" he guessed. When he noticed the bitterness on her face, he understood that he was right. He did not like Claire at all. "No, no, it's not Claire" she tried to defend her ex-best friend, but he knew that he guessed right. His jaw hardened, and his mouth set into a thin line. "I don't understand why you still insist upon defending her. What she did with you was unforgivable. Then why?" he demanded with a hint of irritation. His touch is still gentle and possessive. He is not supposed to hold her like this. But he is reluctant to leave. There is something about her that is pulling him towards her. Ida is feeling bitter. She doesn't like Cla
All eyes are set on Leo Hamilton, who has yet to comment on what his assistant did.Ida is tense. She did not do anything wrong. She just made sure to not give this lecherous man any more chances to touch her again. He already touched her twice, and he was also the same person who touched her backside. But she was the victim of the same kind of circumstances once. And she was also the person who got the punishment instead of the man who committed the mistake. She can feel the heaviness of all the eyes on her. And that is enough to make her anxious."Mr. Hamilton, is this the kind of people you employ? She lacks manners and etiquette. She doesn't know how to behave with her superiors. She should have apologized to me immediately. But look at how she is standing here without any remorse" the CFO fumed, misunderstanding Leo's silence as his permission to scold Ida."Ms Wilson, come here" Leo instructed her in a mild tone. By the tone of his voice, no one can tell what is running inside
Clarence Hamilton is Leo's sister-in-law and Kevin's mother. She is almost eighteen years older than Leo. But still, she is scared of Leo and would think twice before opening her mouth in front of him. When her husband was alive, he tried but failed to handle the Hamilton fortune and businesses, especially after the senior Hamilton perished. But when Leo took charge, it became a one-man show. It was always Leo who decided and finalized everything. The rest would blindly follow him. Leo's brother is the same too, much to the displeasure of Clarence. Even though she married into a rich and reputed family, neither her husband nor her, they never held any power. All they had was the Hamilton name and money for their monthly expenses. She expected that her son Kevin would change that and he would take charge of the Hamilton family businesses. But that never happened. He failed time and again and almost ruined ten million dollars in various projects that he approved and invested in. He prov
"I am sorry" she apologised, feeling bad about the mess she created.He leaned back in his chair and stapled his fingers in front of his broad muscular chest while eying her intently. "Sorry? For what?" he inquired.Ida is looking down at her palms with a guilt-stricken face."This is all because of me. Everyone is affected because of that. I shouldn't have offended him. Now everyone is trying to salvage this situation. The sales department already estimated half a million losses for the garments we recalled and the deliveries that were delayed" she expressed with a frown. In a way, she is the one who stirred the pot of worms."I see, then how are you planning to save this situation?" he asked with a blank face while his intense gaze trained on her. She lifted her gaze to meet his. A frown of concern is etched on her face. She is just one of the employees and she cannot do anything but work and give her best to help them. "I can do anything I can to help the company" she confessed
"Leo, I am fine" Ida complained. But Leo refused to listen to her. He is always insisting on carrying her everywhere these days. She is thirty-seven weeks pregnant now and she gained a lot of weight. All thanks to Leo, Grace, Sara, and Walter. They kept pampering her to the point that Leo refused to walk on her own these days. He insists on carrying her everywhere."Who said you are not? I like carrying both of you in my arms. Why do only you get to carry our daughter? Why can't I carry her?" he asked with a playful wink.Ida groaned and gave up arguing with him. She knows that he will not listen to her, so she lets him do as he pleases."Oh Ida, you woke up? Here, drink this milk. Grace found this recipe somewhere. And it is said to be good for both the mother and the baby" Sara explained while placing a huge glass of milk in front of her.Ida sighed heavily. Her day usually begins like this from the moment she and Leo announce her pregnancy. Sara and Grace dismissed the cook and th
After two months... In one of the private beaches in the Bahamas, Rose is lying on the beach on top of one of the beach chairs with her eyes covered with shades. She is dolled up in a black two-piece bikini. Her sun-kissed tan skin is looking good on her. She gained a few much-needed pounds, which gave her curves that went on for days. She is looking peaceful and content. "Baby doll, here, drink this juice" Leo handed her a glass of cranberry juice, which is tangy, and she happened to crave the tangy taste these days. "Thank you" she replied with a small smile and sipped the cool refreshing drink. She hummed with approval as the taste of the juice made her tastebuds come alive. It's been two months since that fateful day. And two months two weeks from the day she lost her baby. And a year from the time when she first met Leo. At the beginning of the year, she doesn't know that her life is going to change so much. She was still under the wrong belief that she would be marrying Kevi
The next morning, everyone gathered in the graveyard to attend Selene's funeral. Walter was not interested in giving a proper burial to the person whom he treated as a daughter but she almost destroyed his family. He wanted to burn her body in the inferno and get rid of her. But Sara insisted that they needed a proper burial. So hence he arranged this small arrangement. Clovia was brought from the center to attend her mother's last rights. Ida was discharged from the hospital. Leo is standing beside Ida and is looking as interested as Walter.The priest started the procedure. "I request you to speak about the diseased" the priest requested. It is customary to speak well about the dead person. But no one came forward to speak good things about Selene. Because she never did anything good to anyone. "Let's skip the speech and proceed to the last step. Let's drop her coffin into her grave" Walter muttered impatiently. Apart from Sara who seemed a bit sad about Selene's death, no one i
"Sara? Are you alright?" Richard asked with worry.Sara nodded mutely. Her gaze is still fixed on Selene's dead body. She recollected her sweet moments with Selene. Her eyes watered with sadness. There was a time when she used to share everything with Selene. But she failed to recognize how and when Selene started to harbor this much hatred for her. She suppressed her sadness and blinked her eyes to clear her gaze."Call my father. He needs to know this" she muttered before locking herself inside the bathroom to wash away Selene's blood from her body along with her memories.Richard dialed Walter and told them everything that happened in the mansion. "What? I am coming now" Walter promised before disconnecting the call.When Sara stepped out of the bathroom after a long shower and freshly changed into another set of clothes, she saw that her room was spotless again. Someone cleaned everything. Broken vase, droplets of blood, and the dead body. It was as if nothing happened. If her bo
Goosebumps erupted on Sara's skin. Selene looks scary and pure evil when she is laughing like this."You were cherished by Richard and by your father. They were treating me like a princess while I was ignored and my importance in the Giovanni household was minimal. I wanted to ruin you too. I want to take everything you had. So I did. I used Tony and planned that accident to kill you. But somehow, you escaped. After you were out of the picture, I married your dearest Richard and made his life miserable. I raised my daughter like a princess, while you and your daughter were living out there miserably. I lived your life after replacing you in the Giovanni mansion and you were forced to turn into a pauper. You had everything but still living like an orphan. And your daughter? She was kicked and pushed from one orphanage to another. But I found out that your daughter is alive. So I tried to kill her. But she escaped. No, Leo Hamilton saved her every time. The same man whom my daughter is
'Sara, I will kill you today ' Selene thought venemously.In her room, Sara couldn't fall asleep after her talk with Richard. There was a time when she was too young she used to feel that marrying him would be enough for her in this life. But now, so many years have passed and she is not the same. She still likes him, but she doesn't know if she wants to marry him or not. Ida no longer needs them to take care of her. She is blessed with Leo now. After struggling for so long, all she wants in this life is peace. 'I don't even remember most of what happened in these two decades. I was in a coma after giving birth to Ida. It was Nancy who took care of me like a mother. I can never repay her kindness. She is the person who saved my life. I will talk to Dad and ask him to give some properties to Nancy so that at least she can live in peace during her old age ' she thought.Sara is standing near the window, facing away from her room entrance. She was standing there from the moment Richard
"It was not what it looked like" he muttered.Sara could sense bitterness and resentment in his tone. She understood that his relationship with Selene was not good."I know Selene might not have been a good wife. But what about Clovia? What do you think she would do if you married me leaving her mother? How are you planning to explain it to her?" she inquired.Richard looked at Sara. "I have only one daughter, and that is our daughter Ida. Clovia is not my daughter. I never shared a room with Selene after I married her. She became pregnant before marriage. So I was blackmailed into marrying her so that she can give a decent father to Clovia" he explained.Sara is stunned. "I..." she is at a loss for words.He understood her dilemma. "Sara, please, think about what I suggested. Don't you think we both deserve our happily ever after? Do you think that it's fair for us to end up alone in our old age? Don't you think we need someone when we get old and our daughter becomes busy with he
In the rehabilitation center where Clovia was admitted, the doctors are giving her electric treatment often to help her recover. The frequency of the electric shocks to Clovia made her head feel hazy and heavy. She is taking a little longer to identify the objects she is looking at, and she even forgets about why she got there. It took her a good five minutes to remember everything. Leo, his marriage to Ida everything Clovia did to Ida, and how she was stuck in this torture chamber."No, I have to get away from here as soon as possible. If they keep giving me electric treatments like this, I might completely lose my mind. If that happened, then I would lose my Leo forever. I have to escape" she decided to herself.So this time, even though she was awake, she didn't make any noise to alert the nurse or the doctor. Her ears perked up and she strained to hear for any movement outside her room door. When she heard nothing, she slowly sat up from the bed. She made her way towards the door
In the rehabilitation center, when Clovia gained her conscience, she found herself gagged and bound to a stretcher. White hospital walls and beeping machines greeted her in the otherwise quiet room. Slowly when she remembered what happened to her a few hours ago, she started to panic. She frantically started tugging at her binds and screamed behind her gag. She planned to kill Ida and even hospitalized her. But she never expected to find herself in a place like this. "Ahhh...lt m g..." she said something, but her words came incoherent and muffled. She looked angry and would have killed the doctor and the nurse who gave her the electric treatment, but she was tied down to a stretcher and she couldn't move.As her anger started building, her heart rate and blood pressure began to rise as well. This made the machines start beeping loudly, alerting the nurse station outside. Immediately a couple of nurses rushed inside and looked at how Clovia was tugging at her binds almost with too mu