Michael wanted Layla to open her eyes and start breathing again so badly that he even put his fingers under her nostrils to know whether that would happen and he was disappointed when it didn’t happen.“Why Layla? Why did you have to leave me?” Michael began talking to Layla’s corpse after his crying had reduced a little bit.“This wasn’t the agreement. You were not supposed to leave me here all alone. It’s not fair yuuno, what am I supposed to do without you now? How am I supposed to cope with your absence?This was never supposed to happen my love. I miss you already and I can’t do anything about it.” Michael began to cry again.Meanwhile at the station, Carter was still finding it hard to believe that Noah had actually been caught. Carter always believed that Noah was invincible and above the law since he always covered his tracks so well.Noah did not want to believe that he was going to be sentenced. He knew that his rivals would be very happy once they got wind of the news and t
It has always been Michael's wish to watch Noah die. But ever since the day Layla's death was announced, it has been his number one goal, to make sure Noah and Terry die.For weeks now Terry's court hearings have been held on several occasions. Today would be his last Court hearing and Michael was not going to miss it for the world.Unlike Terry, Noah's case might not need to be heard in court since the evidence against him is strong enough for a conviction. However, for the sake of due process, Noah will be granted a day in court to prove his innocence beyond a reasonable doubt. Ultimately, he is expected to end up in prison.Michael alongside Imani, and Vince arrived at the court in a Range Rover sport.They made their way to the courtroom and took a seat at the public gallery.They watched as the hall filled up with well-wishers, supporters, onlookers, the prosecuting attorney, and the defending attorney.After a few minutes, the judge entered the courtroom accompanied by a bailiff
“Years ago, he felt threatened by a certain classmate's presence in Layla's life so Terry murdered him. Terry planned Layla's accident because she had discovered he was responsible for their classmate's death. When Layla survived the accident, initial reports suggested she might not regain her memory, which made Terry rejoice. However, when it was later confirmed that she would recover, he paid off nurses to unplug her oxygen. Fortunately, I overheard and recorded their conversation. And I stayed beside Layla, protecting her from the nurses, but sadly, the injuries she sustained from the accident were enough to take her life.”“Did I hear you say record?” Attorney John asked.“Yes I recorded their conversation, although i made use of a voice record.” Michael replied.“You don't have to worry Mr Brown, we would make use of a Voiceprint Analyzer. If the need arises.”“Your honor permit me to present this piece of evidence before the court.” Attorney John asked.“Objection your honor, At
"Miss Imani, what do you have to say?" The judge asked."Good day, Your Honor. On the day Layla died, I was wearing a shirt with a video camera hidden in a button. It captured Terry confessing not only to causing Layla's accident but also to murdering our classmate years ago out of jealousy.” Imani revealed.“Objection your honor, every piece of evidence must be submitted before a hearing.” Attorney Charles interjected.“In certain circumstances, evidence discovered late may be submitted during a hearing, provided that the party offering the evidence demonstrates good cause for the delay and the opposing party is given a fair opportunity to respond.” Attorney John intercepted.“Objection overruled.” The judge ordered. “Is there a good reason for the delay?” The judge asked Imani.“I accidentally spilled water on my shirt that very day so I wasn't sure if the video would be retrievable. I thought it best not to tell the court about the evidence as I was not certain if I would be able t
Michael, Imani and Vince were seated on a round table, a bottle of wine was placed in the middle. Each of them held a glass half filled with wine at the tip of their lips.“This is such a happy day.” Vince said, placing his empty glass on the table.“Not yet.” Michael said, causing Imani and Vince to stare at him.“And why is that?” Vince asked.“Noah hasn't been sentenced yet. I need every single one of them dead or behind bars.” Michael explained.“You should be happy that the one responsible for Layla's death is behind bars.” Imani said in a matter of fact tone.“She has a point.” Vince conceded.Imani was about to say something but her phone started to ring out. She slid her hands into her pocket and brought out her buzzing phone.She stared at the screen trying to decipher who the caller was. After a few seconds she finally realized who was calling her repeatedly.“What's wrong? Who is calling you?” Vince asked, worried.“It's Layla's dad.” Imani replied.“You should pick it up t
“Their view is totally wrong and stupid. I understand their grief but this is not the time to act childish and petty. They couldn't even attend the trial of their daughter's murderer. The same daughter you claim they can't think rationally because of her death. If they were truly affected then they would have been seated in the front roll in the courtroom awaiting Terry's sentence. Instead they decided to take out time to plan how to stop Michael from attending Layla's service. Such bullshit.” Vince scolded Imani.“You make it seem like I was the one that told Layla's dad to restrict Michael from attending her service.” Imani said, annoyed.“No one is saying that, what I am trying to say is. Michael already got the message you did not have to blabber about how he should not cause a scene.” Vince ranted.“This is bullshit.” Imani said, as she walked away.“You should apologize to her.” Michael suggested, tears still rolling down his cheeks.“And why should I do that?” Vince asked.“You
The day had finally come, a coffin was placed in the middle while people dressed up in black surrounded it. The framed picture of a young girl with a beaming smile sat on top of the closed coffin.“We are gathered here today, to not only console the grieving family but to also pray for and share all the loving memories we had with Miss Layla Johnson.” The Reverend began the service. “We will start with whoever wishes to begin then we will round up with her parents.”Someone from the crowd raised up her hands. “My name is Rebecca Milton, I used to be a classmate to the deceased. Trust me when I say that I was not the least close to Layla. I was actually jealous of her, I envied her beaming smile, her elegant steps, her charismatic words and her beautiful aura. Each time I stared at her I saw a competition and not a human. When I heard of Layla's death I was stunned, I spent half of my life in the shadows trying to surpass Layla. Now I have no idea what to do with my life, maybe I will
FOUR YEARS LATER:A man is seated in a spacious office, files are scattered across his table. When a lady walks into his office, with a stack of files in her hands.“Is there a problem? Carol.” The man asked, still engrossed in his laptop.“Well I reviewed these files and discovered that there had been some sort of miscalculations made in the company's records.”The man was about to reply when his phone suddenly started ringing. He stared at the caller Id and hissed loudly. He decided to ignore the call but the caller was persistent so he decided to pick up the call.“What is it?” The man asked, picking up the call.“What's up bro, I called to invite you to Imani’s baby shower.” The person at the other end of the phone announced happily. But the man remained silent. “Why are you so quiet Michael? Are you not happy for me?”“When is it?” Michael asked, ignoring his questions.“Tomorrow.” Vince replied.“And I am being told about this now.” Michael commented. “Did you ever consider the
He shut the door and dipped his hands into his pocket, admiring our cozy home. I felt a chill run down my spine."I don't understand what's going on. What is he doing here?" I whispered to my friend, trying to make sense of the situation."Let's just hear him out." She replied calmly.I glared at him, who was still grinning at me. "So, this is what you do? Go around saving girls to get into their pants?"He didn't seem surprised by my words, for reasons best known to him."Layla, it's not like that." My friend said, touching my arm, trying to calm me down, but I was having none of it.“You're never going to stop, are you?" He shook his head, turning around to admire our home further."Imani, he has to leave.” I whispered urgently."What? It's raining heavily outside. Where do you want him to go?" She replied, defending him.I was shocked. "No... he can't stay here! I don't want him in this house, and that's final!"Her expression changed, and she lashed out at me. "And what makes you
Vince stepped into his apartment, greeted by the savory aroma of pizza.Imani sat on the kitchen counter, devouring a family-sized pie."Hey, babe! How was your meeting with Michael?" Imani asked, mouth full of pizza.Vince sighed, taking a seat next to her. "It was a disaster. He refused to listen to me, and now he's in denial."“What happened?" Imani asked, concerned.Vince recounted the entire ordeal, from him informing Michael about Sun Mi's true identity, that her parents were trying so hard to hide to Michael's refusal to believe him."...and then Michael told me to drop it, that I was being paranoid.” Vince concluded.Imani shook her head. "He's just scared, Vince. He'll come around once he realizes the truth."Vince nodded. "I know, but time is running out. Sun Mi's life is at stake and his as well. He might die from depression at this rate. It's been four years already, yet Michael is still grieving this hard.” He explained.Imani placed a hand on Vince's arm. "We'll figure i
Vince stepped into Michael's office, with a warm smile."What's good, my man?" Michael asked, flashing a bright smile."Not much, just trying to stay out of trouble," Vince replied, chuckling."Trouble? You? Nah, you're a straight shooter, Vince." Michael said, laughing out loud."Hey, watch it, I can get into some trouble if I want to." Vince jokes."Oh, I'm shakin' in my boots." Michael teased.Vince playfully rolled his eyes. "Anyway, enough about that. I got some serious business to discuss."Michael's expression suddenly became serious. "Okay, what's up?" He asked.Vince took a deep breath and began to narrate the whole story, starting from when he paused his speech to run after Jerry, only to bump into Mrs. Johnson."So, while I was about to give my speech during your grand opening in Seoul. I had seen you run out of the building, obviously annoyed, so I decided to run after you but I got lost in the hallways and I saw someone I never expected.I saw Jerry talking to a strange
Vince immediately ripped the box open, and they were met with a surprise. Inside, they found a packet of drugs, drips, syringes and a small paper containing instructions on when and how the drugs should be taken."What the hell is this?" Vince asked, puzzled.Bunker shook his head. "I don't know, but I can find the contact of a doctor or nurse, or at least a friend of mine that works in a hospital, they must know what these drugs are used for." He suggested.“Sure let's go with that.” Vince responded.Bunker made himself comfortable on his rusty cushion and picked up his laptop from the side table and turned it on.He scrolled through the laptop a few times before he announced joyfully. “I found someone's contact on the net, but she is not allowed to give out certain information except in crucial situations.” He explained.“So how do we go about this?” Vince asked.“Well, we will just have to put on a good show.” Bunker replied as dialed the number and the person picked up after the t
Sun Mi sat at the edge of her bed, sipping her coffee and staring out the window. She had been having the strangest dreams ever since she returned to America. Every night, it was the same thing - she would see herself in a different scenario, but the faces of the people around her were always blurry. Except for hers, she could see her own face clearly, but everyone else's was a blur.Jerry walked into the room, carrying a bunch of grocery bags. "Hey, good morning!" He said, setting the bags down on the counter. "I brought breakfast."Sun Mi smiled, she was grateful for the distraction. "Thanks, Jerry. You're a lifesaver."As Jerry started setting the table, he noticed that Sun Mi looked a bit off. "Hey, is everything okay?" he asked, concern marred on his face. "You look like you've lost your last marble."Sun Mi sighed, rubbing her temples. "I don't know, Jerry. I just can't shake off these weird dreams I've been having. And the weirdest part is, I can only see my own face. Everyone
Sun Mi slept peacefully in her hotel room, her facial mask placed on her face as usual . She was exhausted from the long flight and the events of the day. As she drifted off to sleep, she began to dream.In her dream, she saw two men in a car, speeding down the road. They were laughing and playing loud music, oblivious to the road ahead. Sun Mi's heart raced as she saw herself running into the road, trying to get to the other side. She tried to scream, but her voice was muffled.The car screeched to a halt just inches from her face. Sun Mi's heart skipped a beat as she saw the two men staring at her in shock. One of them looked like he had seen a ghost. The other was grinning from ear to ear."Is she alive?" The second guy whispered."We should take her to the hospital.” The first guy suggested, his eyes fixed on Sun Mi's face.Sun Mi felt a jolt of fear as the first guy approached her. He was handsome, but there was something strange about him. She tried to move away, but her body fe
Vince's mind was racing as he sat back in the airplane seat room, staring at the footage Travis had sent him. The grainy video showed Mrs. Johnson arguing with the masked Sun Mi backstage at a runway show. Vince's eyes narrowed as he watched the video again, this time paying closer attention to the body language of the two women."I think Sun Mi might be Layla.” Vince whispered to Imani, who was sleeping beside him. Imani's eyes snapped open, and she sat up straight, her eyes locking onto Vince's."What? Why do you think that?" Imani asked her with her eyes wide open in shock.Vince showed her the footage, and Imani's eyes widened as she watched."This is getting juicier by the minute," Vince said, his eyes locked onto Imani's. "I think we need to dig deeper."Imani nodded in agreement, then asked . "Are you sure about this?”Vince nodded. “I am not a hundred percent sure that Sun Mi and Layla are one and the same person. It's only a hunch and my intuition is never wrong.” He said, gr
As the plane soared through the skies, Michael, Sun Mi, Carol, Jerry, Imani, Vince, Mrs Brown and other business partners settled into their seats, exhausted from the events of the past few days.In business class, Jerry and Sun Mi chatted quietly, their conversation carrying over to where Michael sat."So, what was it like dancing with Michael?" Jerry asked, his eyes sparkled with curiosity.Sun Mi shrugged. "It was nothing special. Just a dance.”She said with a nonchalant expression.“Are you sure? Your heart did not flutter or skip a beat when he placed his hands on your waist?” He inquired.“Was it meant to?” She clapped back.Michael felt a pang of hurt listening to her words.“Why do I feel this way? I should be happy, this is what I wanted after all.” Michael said, trying so hard to convince himself.He decided to push his emotions aside, trying to focus on preparing for the conference call he would have in a few hours time.IN THE FIRST CLASS:Vince was on a mission, he neede
The event had long ended and every guest had gone to their respective homes or hotel rooms. Michael stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, while he made use of a smaller towel to wipe out the beads of water on his body.When he was done he sat down at the edge of the bed and began to think about everything that went down today during the grand opening. From being rude to Senator Bong Won Yun, because he had belittled Sun Mi. To actually listening to Imani and asking Sun Mi for a dance and finally finding it hard to say that he doesn't care about her.He couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt that had been weighing on him since Imani's words. He couldn't believe he was developing feelings for Sun Mi, especially after being responsible for Layla's death. He started questioning his own morality and wondered why he was capable of loving anyone else.“Michael, you need to forget about the past and move on.” Imani had said, but it was easier said than done.~~