Kaleb "What's wrong? You've barely said a word since we got off work," I said after a long silence, driving with Ayla staring out of the window, without any movement. Her hair was down, covering most of the side of her face, so I couldn't really look at her expression and tell what was happening. "Ayla?" I called when she sniffled and adjusted herself so that her face was totally hidden from my view. "Are you crying? Is it what happened earlier in my office?" She shook her head, another sniffle following. Then I remembered that I had sent her to deliver a file to Angel; could she have seen Roman and something ended up happening between them, worse, Roman hurting her? With that possibility in mind, I pulled over, right at the diversion that led to our home. "Did Roman do something to you?" I pressed, my fist itching to connect with the Dimwit's face once again. "No, it's just the pregnancy hormones," she finally whispered, her voice so low that I barely heard her over the soft mus
AylaI examined my wrists the minute I got inside the house, the feeling of helplessness engulfing me once again. I could still feel Roman's grip around my wrists, crawling all over my skin, and his breath on my face as he warned me. My body was still trembling, my mind reliving the entire ordeal."Would he have forced himself on me if Danica hadn't walked in?" I knew the answer to that question, and the mere imagination made me literally tremble. I stood in front of the mirror, my frail, blurry reflection looking back at me. My eyes were red and swollen, my lips were chapped, and there was a visible vein on the side of my forehead."He's becoming worse," I admitted in a barely audible, shaky voice, closing my eyes as tears escaped. My chest felt like it was being squeezed from the inside, the pain spreading to the upper part of my abdomen."Hey Ayla," Marise called as she knocked."What?" I responded after seconds of silence, debating whether to answer or just ignore."Open up; I hav
Kaleb Everything around us ceased from existing as Ayla mewled, kissing me back in matched energy. I tilted my face, deepening the kiss as every sense of caution went out of reach. Sparks erupted between us, turning into fire as I pressed tight against her, running my hands on her luscious body. "So sweet," I breathed against her lips, capturing them once again when she let out a soft moan. Heat spread through my veins as she clung onto me, beginning to gyrate her petite body against mine. I felt as if my dick was going to burst with how much blood was rushing there, hardening it to its limit. "Kaleb," Ayla whispered after pulling back, panting against me. "Goddess baby, you taste so good," I breathed, caressing her soft cheek. "More," she responded, sinking her upper teeth into her lower wet lip, pulled it, then released it, all while holding my gaze with her beautiful calling eyes. There was a fire in them, one that was calling me, consuming me whole. "You're playing with fire,
Ayla I couldn't fight off a smile as I thought about my night with Kaleb during a meeting the next day. Randolf was doing a presentation in front of senior staff, including Kaleb and Roman. All I could see was his mouth opening and closing and his hands moving. I was too deep in thought, reliving Kaleb grinding on me to hear Randolf's voice. "Ayla?" Kaleb called, snapping me out of my daydreaming. I cleared my throat as everyone around the table looked expectantly at me. "I asked you a question," Kaleb stated, giving me a side look as if he had realised that my mind was not there. "Please repeat, sir." I spoke in confidence, raising my head high while seated. "Randolf thinks that we should invest $1 billion in AI technology; that is 50% of the overall budget used on research and development. He says it will help the company save a lot of money because every process will be faster. What do you think?" I didn't need to rake my brain for an answer, because in my free time as a s
AylaI sat on Kaleb's leather couch on one of the balconies of his home, a bowl of chicken broth on the table in front of me. He had driven me to a house on Sedberry Road, only a few minutes from the heart of Nashville. As I looked over the garden, I wondered whether I was humane because I felt nothing after losing the pregnancy."Hey," Kaleb joined me, a laptop in his hand."Hi," I smiled briefly, his presence alone affecting my moods positively. He had been on an online meeting for hours, leaving me to my thoughts, until I decided to step out to the balcony."How are you?" he asked for the umpteenth time, looking at me as if searching my eyes.I looked at him, like really looked at him, wondering what he saw in me. Kaleb wasn’t like Roman; yes, they shared the same blood, but that’s where the similarities ended. Where Roman was selfish, Kaleb was selfless and stood by me. Roman made me feel small and useless, but Kaleb took me under his wing and went as far as making use of my busin
Kaleb"Where the fuck is my wife?" Roman barged inside my office, his wild eyes landing on me. I had already picked up Ayla's purse and had replied to some pending emails that she wasn't able to attend."She is not picking my calls, and I know you carried her out of the building." I just stood in the middle of my office, carrying my briefcase as I looked at him unravel.He stepped forward, his shoulders square and hands bawled into fists. I was slightly taller than him, so he had to tilt his neck just slightly to look at me in the face. "I will not ask you again," he paused, the upper corner of his mouth twitching, then continued, "Where did you take my wife?"I didn't flinch as he sneered; instead, I let out a low, biting laugh, then asked, "Wife?"I added another laugh that lingered in the air, shaking my head at his pathetic trial in intimidating me."I will forward the results of the online meeting I attended earlier; I expect your feedback by tomorrow." I sidestepped him, avoidin
Ayla'I swear I left the glass of milk in the sink,' I grumbled inside my temporary bedroom, my hand on my stomach, with my index finger tapping on it."Can I come in?" The nurse's voice carried through the wall, faint but unmistakable.""Yes, please," I breathed, pressing my hand harder on my belly when a sharp discomfort spread round to my back."It's time for your medicine. The last thing we want is for you to be unable to get sleep because of pain," the nurse who had told me that her name was Penelope said as she balanced the small tray with one hand and nudged the door shut with the other."I appreciate it. The pain had subsided, but now I can feel it increasing every minute," I admitted, closing my eyes as another knot formed in my pelvis."You're feeling the mild pain right now because the painkillers in your bloodstream have worn off. It will go away within a day or two as your uterus returns to its normal size," she explained, opening the sealed water bottle."I hope so; I re
Kaleb Three days had gone by since Ayla's miscarriage, and still we didn't have evidence. I kept on pushing Ayla to get the tests done, but it was like she had given up already. Something about Marise's behaviour was rubbing me the wrong way, and I truly felt that she knew something had been put in the food. All she needed was a little coercion to spit the truth, so if Ayla would remain adamant about being tested, then I would turn my attention to the nanny. "What are you thinking about?" Ayla asked, nodding at the chef as he walked into the sitting area in the backyard, a tray in his hands. "Just work," I lied, then greeted my chef. He was good at what he did, so much so that when I missed good meals I'd just sleep at the Sedberry home. "Thank you," Ayla spoke after he finished serving us brunch, a genuine smile on her face. I was relieved that she looked emotionally okay, despite what she was going through. "You're lying," Ayla stated, sitting up slowly. I noticed a small scrun
AylaI pressed a fist on my trembling lips, my thoughts spinning in my head. Kaleb's mouth was moving, but I couldn't hear what he was saying. All I could feel at that point was a barrage of emotions that left my body crumpling in on itself."A child," I uttered in a low yet shaky voice."Now I get it...the messages." I swallowed hard, past a growing lump in my throat."Baby, I can explain." I could now hear his voice from afar, filled with hesitation and heaviness.I forced a painful laugh out."Explain what, Kaleb?" I asked softly."How many motherfucking times did you have the chance to come clean? I asked you if everything was okay. You denied knowing anything about the number, over and over again," I whispered the last part, pushing myself off the bed. My body felt as if it had been hit by a bomb, but then I couldn't stay another minute near such a lying coward."You know the worst part?" I closed my eyes, listening to my heart beat as it seemed to slow down."You never thought to
Kaleb"What was that?" I shouted at Amanda over the phone in my bedroom at the mansion."What was what Kaleb?" she sweetly inquired, her nonchalance over the matter making my patience thin."You know fucking well what I am talking about." I was minutes away from hunting her down and putting her in her place."Well consider that a warning love," she responded, giggling at the end."What?" I asked."When the results come, and you find out that indeed you are Leo's father, I expect your unwavering attention and participation in his life," she explained, her tone of voice becoming more serious."What is that supposed to mean?" I leaned on the wall, my emotions all over."You cannot be there for Leo while you are parading around and investing your time in that good for nothing poverty ridden girl. So, I will send her a message containing every piece of information you have been hiding from her. Trust me I know that you haven't told her a thing about our son." My grip around the phone tight
Ayla"Baby, please talk to me," Kaleb begged as I walked out of my office. It seemed he had been standing by the door, waiting for me to step out."You haven't said a word to me since yesterday, Ayla," he added, following me as I headed straight to the cafeteria. I had woken up before him and had used an uber to get to the office, without eating anything."I won't stop following you until you talk to me or let me explain myself," he muttered behind me.I hadn't slept a wink, wondering why he would lie not once but twice. What was so important that he couldn't have told me? I had a mild ache in my head, and I had to keep swallowing the urge to cry."Good morning," Randolf greeted us confidently when the elevator opened. He moved a little bit back to allow us some space as we got in. Instead of answering, Kaleb gave him a nod, while I bit down the urge to call him on his scheme with Roman.From the way he was carrying himself, he thought that he had covered his tracks very well."Are yo
Kaleb"I can't believe you really agreed to this," Dean spoke in a low voice beside me at the private clinic, in the waiting bay."She offered, so I agreed because I need to prove that, that child is mine, and DNA is the only accurate way I know," I defended, supporting my upper body weight with my elbows on my thighs."Exactly, offered." He waved his hand in the air, probably out of frustration."Why are you not asking yourself why Amanda would just volunteer for a DNA test even before you asked her to?" The tone of his voice changed to something I couldn't quite explain."Because she is telling the truth maybe. That boy could be my son, I mean he's four years old and Amanda left five years, ago, while she was in her early pregnancy stages," I paused, wondering whether I was trying to convince myself, or my best friend Dean."Yes Amanda, fucking broke me but if that child is mine, he deserves to have a father in his life," I finished, the thought of being a father making me feel thi
Ayla"Something is not adding up here," I spoke softly to myself, staring at one of the printed records. Kaleb had demanded the files from Randolf, who had no choice but to hand them over to me. I still remembered the way he glared at me sharply while I picked the files with Kaleb on my side, smiling victoriously. I could feel my heart pounding as I looked at line after line, and that is when I noticed that some transaction entries had been rounded off to neat figures."Did someone you know get lost?" Dean asked when I entered his office after one knock, carrying the files and a laptop."Well, if money qualifies as someone, then I think much of it has been lost," I answered, opening the files."I need your help." I sat down, looking as he pulled one of the opened files."What am I looking at?" He asked in all seriousness, pulling his chair closer to his desk."These payments, they are too clean, and some of them are very little compared to the amount of money a company of such magnitu
Kaleb"I would have never thought of something like this if it weren't for Ayla." I rotated on a swivel chair in Dean's office, looking as he compared the vans further on his monitor. It was on Monday, two days after the shooting fiasco at the mansion. I was yet to visit Marise, too, held up."Me too, at least we have a connection between Roman and Rex. The question is, does Roman know that Rex is Ayla's uncle, and what business exactly are they contacting?" Ayla and I had asked similar questions, and we were willing to uncover every layer of secrets slowly by slowly. "With everything that is happening, I am beginning to think that I don't really know Roman and Mom like I've always thought I do." Things all of a sudden were taking turns that I really couldn't have anticipated."First it was Amanda, then Randolf, now Marise and Rex. We haven't even uncovered what all of them are up to, and yet things keep on getting complicated," Dean pointed out, pausing his hand movement on the mous
AylaThe mansion was utter chaos as Catarina screamed all over, insisting that there was an intruder. The police had arrived and scoured the entire compound, including the forest, and no one turned up. There was no sign of forced entry into Marise's quarters, and the guards on both entrances had not opened up for anyone."Ma'am, how did you know that your housekeeper had been shot?" One of the detectives asked.We were seated in the central living room with two detectives, Danica and Kaleb. Roman wasn't back yet, and Kaleb was yet to tell me what they had discovered about him. But that could wait until the current situation was under control."I heard the shot," Catarina answered, her eyes widening a fraction as if she was reliving the whole ordeal."I quickly got up and looked through my bedroom window, and that is when I saw a man running out of Marise's quarters, into the back," she added, rocking back and forth."I was so sc-are-d," she stammered, her body visibly trembling. Somet
Kaleb"Is it possible that Roman knows we are onto him?" I asked Dean as we waited by the diversion from the mansion that led to the highway for Roman."Chill, dude. It's only 10 minutes past 11," Dean scoffed, tapping on the steering wheel of his Mercedes S-class."Fine." I exhaled deeply, my eyes on the road."You should tell her," Dean spoke after a minute or so of silence, staring right ahead."Huh?" I shifted on the seat."Ayla, she deserves to know about Amanda and the child. She will not stop looking until she finds out who's texting her; we both know that," he carefully stated, his voice low."You think I don't know that?" I pinched the bridge of my nose just as Roman's BMW zoomed past at a high speed."There we go, told you he'd come." Dean followed him at a distance into the highway, making sure not to lose sight of him.It didn't take long before he veered off the main road into a dirt road that had trees on either side. There was no sign of any homes or cars, just the soun
Ayla"Hi Ayla," Marise greeted, eyeing the grocery bag with the bedsheets in my hands. I had retrieved it from the servant quarters and was taking them to Kaleb's wing, praying deep down that they could find traces of Rex DNA. I was glad that I held on to them safely for years, clinging onto the smallest hope for justice."How are you?" Marise added, blocking my way."I heard you the first time, okay?" I snapped, sizing her up and down."And I am not in the mood to converse with a traitor. Or has Danica asked you to spy on me?" I raised my brows in question, biting an insult when she lowered her eyes to the ground. "I would never do that," she muttered, shifting on her feet."I know it's Danica who laced my food and milk with abortion drugs, but she doesn't cook. So that leaves only you in the middle of it, Marise. You knew very well what was in that meal when you brought it to me." I paused, as I remembered how good I was to her when I moved into the mansion."You could have done th