Lincoln pulls up in front of The Lounge but to his surprise, the place is quiet. He knocks on the door and there’s no response. “That’s weird,” he mutters. He called Halsey last night but she didn’t talk to him. This morning, he tried to call her again but she didn’t answer his calls. “What the hell? Did she not return home last night?”He’s now getting worried. Halsey never stayed out late. Something isn’t right.His phone rings. It’s his dad.“Dad,” he says, answering the phone. “Halsey-”“Lincoln, what did you do?” Daniel snarls at the other end. “Did you help with a surgery recently?”Lincoln freezes, unable to articulate his words. Yes, he recently assisted in an organ donation surgery. It was for a liver transplant of a small child and the Chief of General Surgery was in charge. However, a few days ago, one man approached Lincoln. The man turned out to be a powerful politician whose son needed a liver transplant. He told Lincoln to sabotage the surgery so that his son can get
Halsey is shaking as she stands in front of Nathan’s bedroom. She puts the tray on a table beside the bedroom door and slowly knocks on the door. There’s no response.Should I just enter? She wonders. Maybe he’s not there.She debates with herself for a while before deciding to enter the room. Slowly opening the door, she picks up the tray and walks into his bedroom.Woah! It’s the only word to describe the sight in front of her. Nathan’s room is minimalistic but has a touch of smooth sophistication. Two of the walls are windows made of thick glass, overseeing the ocean ahead. There’s a small garden on the balcony with faux green grass laid on the ground and several beautiful plants lined along the sides. An electric chimney stands in the middle of the room, dividing it into two. French style couch sets are lined in one half while the main bedroom is behind the chimney.Halsey nervously steps towards the main bedroom but can’t help admiring the place. A painting on the wall catches he
Joanna innocently looks from her dad to the pretty lady who’s pinned under him. She points at them and asks, “Why are you with Pretty Lady, dad?”Nathan is stunned by the revelation. So is Halsey.He’s her dad? She thinks.She saved Jo? He thinks.Jo, on the other hand, is curious about the duo. They seem very close and she can’t fathom why they’re together in bed. Suddenly feeling self-aware, Halsey shoves Nathan so hard that he falls off the bed and lands on the ground with a thud.“Ow!” He winces.“I-I’m s-s-s-sorry!” She squeals but her apologies are drowned out by Jo’s excitement.“Daddy, were you cuddling with Pretty Lady?” She exclaims. “That’s so cute!”“What?” Nathan scowls as he stands up. Halsey blushes in embarrassment and quickly slides off the bed. She tries to make a run for it but Nathan speaks up.“You. Stop. Stay!”Halsey awkwardly turns to face him while Jo settles on the bed, watching everything with interest. She’s stroking her Barbie doll as her gaze shifts betwe
Salvez bursts into Damien’s room and slaps his son across the cheek. Damien doesn’t flinch but lets his father vent.“You refused the deal with Hastings?” He snarls. “What the f*ck is wrong with you?”Damien sighs and takes out a paper. He hands it to his father.“Hastings is in a lot of debt,” he replies. “The Brit has been promising to sell these shares to many people but he took their money and ran off. The shares were never sold to them. Moreover, the hospital our friend Daniel runs has been facing losses for years. Yet, he’s sustaining it. How? How is the hospital running?”Salvez’s eyes flash in anger but he doesn’t reply.“They have many donors,” he mutters. Damien raises an eyebrow but doesn’t comment.“Our interest in the hospital is going to end up in a loss,” Damien goes on. “I think Daniel is using Hastings in some way to gain more money and power. Even the Michell’s refused him.”“How do you know that?” Salvez demands. “Why did they-”“Hastings dared to hurt the mistress
The hotel’s lobby is buzzing with guests who are arriving. Staff members are expertly catering to the high profile people who have graced the event, guiding them or provisioning food. Many celebrities and important people of the state have arrived at the small town and it’s creating quite the stir.They’ve all been invited by the elusive CEO of the Michell Law Firm who’s also the owner of the hotel. Colorful chandeliers are shining brightly from the ceiling, amplifying the hotel’s red and white decor. Bianca is running around, networking with anyone she can find. She’s dressed in a red sequin gown, looking important and distinguished. The other staff are in their red and white uniform, working their way as they handle the guests. Mary Ann is moving around, offering people drinks or taking their orders while the guests mingle.Almost all the important people from the town of Bayers’ Coast have shown up and so did many famous people from other states. Some of the people are so famous t
Halsey winces in pain but tries to put up a professional front. Her head feels like it’s about to burst and yet, she’s serving food to the guests. She wasn’t feeling like volunteering for the event and had only planned to sing, but Bianca ordered her to be a server too.“You must uphold our reputation!” Bianca sneered at her. “We’re shorthanded already. Don’t embarrass us tonight!”I’ll have to do my best, she tells herself. Besides, if she messes up, the psycho CEO may hurt Lincoln.She watches Lincoln from afar, smiling with the guests. He seems to be somewhat of a celebrity himself, posing for the pictures with many high profile people. Lincoln glances at her but doesn’t acknowledge her. He’s too busy, too important.Charlotte would have loved to see his fame but she would’ve reprimanded him for ignoring Halsey. Halsey doesn’t mind though. As long as Lincoln is happy, she doesn’t care.“More quiche, sir?” She offers one of the guests who thanks her.Lincoln talks to the guests but
Lincoln is horrified when Halsey collapses on the stage and is about to rush to her when he stops in his tracks. To his surprise, someone else runs to her. A masked man stoops down and carries her away in his arms. He glowers in anger and surprise. Who’s that man and why is he taking Halsey away? Everyone around him snicker at the girl. “What an idiot!” The sultry actress by Lincoln’s side sneers. He learns that her name is Jamie and she’s a popular soap opera star. “Who the hell is she?” one of them scowls. “We need some good music here!” Another guest demands. The guests are complaining. One of the staff members switches on the sound boxes backstage and a soothing music begins to play. “Shall we dance?” Jamie asks Lincoln. Lincoln debates with himself for a while, wondering whether to go after Halsey or not. “We can talk about the business deal I’m interested in conducting with you,” she whispers in his ears in a seductive manner. Lincoln’s interest piques. “What deal?” He
Something soft is poking her on the cheek. Halsey frowns in her sleep and rolls over, grumbling. “Not now, Charlotte,” she mumbles. “Five more minutes.But someone keeps on poking her, making Halsey pout. She was having a nice dream where she was having breakfast with her parents. They were happy and smiling at her, pampering her like a princess. Halsey is overwhelmed by the dream and she doesn’t want it to end. It’s been so long since she had a dream about her parents.“Pretty Lady, aren’t you gonna wake up?”Pretty Lady? That’s not Charlotte. Charlotte…Charlotte is here, right?Halsey slowly opens her eyes only to find herself in a dreary room. To her surprise, a pair of very familiar looking brown eyes are staring back at her, wearing her glasses.Jo is blinking at Halsey who seems to be in a daze. “Jo?” Halsey whispers. “What are you doing here? Where am I? And why are you wearing my glasses?”“You’re in your room,” Jo simply says, fixing the glasses on her eyes. “I like your g
*Eight months later in New York*Halsey is crying hard while Nathan looks guilty while Jo is quiet. “How could you do this to me?” Halsey wails. “This…this is…this is such a betrayal!”“Hales, I didn’t mean it!” Nathan exclaims. “It was an accident!”“Dad, this really isn’t right,” Jo adds, shaking her head. “I’m disappointed in you! How could you do this to mom?”Nathan gapes at his daughter. “It was an accident!” He claims. “I swear it was! I didn’t do it on purpose, babe! I-I was seduced!”“SEDUCED?” Halsey shouts at him. “SEDUCED?”She’s now angry and she throws a pillow at him. “SEDUCED? HERE I AM CARRYING A LITTER AND YOU…YOU…”Stopping in between her tirade, she takes several deep breaths. Nathan is ashamed and sad by what he did.“YOU…YOU ATE THE LAST PIECE OF CHOCOLATE?” Halsey shrieks and throws another pillow at him. “YOU KNOW I NEED CHOCOLATES IN THIS STATE!”Nathan is truly ashamed but the chocolate was too delicious to ignore. He thought no one would find out but Jo cau
Lincoln was being carried away by Damien’s men. He’s completely catatonic, his mind in severe shock. They took him to the psychiatric hospital where the doctors checked up on him. For many days, they’ve tried to figure out what’s wrong with him but to no avail.His encephalitis has reached the advanced stage in a short period of time. The doctors have no hope now.“He’s in a sort of a self-induced coma,” the psychiatrist tells Halsey one day. “He can’t comprehend anything. His eyes are open but his mind is shut. It’s as if he had a severe shock which he couldn’t overcome.”“Can he stand trial?” Halsey asks. “There must be something you can do to make him sane again. We can’t just let him off the hook like this!”“We’re trying but in a way, his punishment is this,” the doctor concludes. “He won’t be able to stand trial but he’ll not recover from this.”Halsey glances inside the ward where Lincoln had been kept. He’s staring at the wall, unmoving for hours. His once luscious hair has fa
*Present*“They must’ve found us!” Hastings exclaims. “How? You just said it’s a safe place?“I don’t know!” Lincoln yells. “They’ll kill us. Let’s just kill the kid and-”“ARE YOU INSANE?” Hastings screams. “She’s our only bet! If we take her, we can negotiate with them and leave this place alive!”As soon as he says that, several of Damien’s guards barge out of the elevator. Without any word, Hastings enters the room and grabs Jo before escaping through the fire escape. Lincoln runs off to hide.Downstairs, Nathan, Halsey, Damien and Daniel, are scavenging the floors. Hastings’ guards are being captured by their men, leaving their way clear. “Jo!” Halsey cries. “Jo, where are you?” “Jo?” Nathan shouts. The rooms are empty and they start to ascend the stairs. Daniel breaks off from the group, heading east to find Jo. In the chaos, no one notices him leaving.Halsey is beside herself with fear. Nathan keeps a firm grip on her while Damien instructs his men to spread out. “We’ll loo
Jo is glaring at Lincoln. She’s not crying nor looking scared but rather apprehensive of the man. The guards who were supposed to watch over her that day, had knocked out Jason and kidnapped her while she was on the way to school. They lied to Nathan that she was safe so that he wouldn’t come after them.Now, hours later, she’s tied up in an empty building. They’re on the fifth floor where Lincoln and Hastings are hiding. Lincoln is glaring at the little girl and he wants to push her off the window but she’s his only leverage to get Halsey.“In a few hours, your mother will come to me and we’ll leave this place,” he grins. “And you’ll be dead.”He steps forward, a manic glee in his eyes. “Once Halsey is here, I’ll kill you and take her with me.”“My dad will beat you!” Jo sneers. “Remember what he did to the other guy when he kidnapped me? I’m not scared of you!”WHACK!Lincoln slaps the insolent child. Jo feels immense pain on her cheek and even though her eyes are stinging with tear
Halsey is feeling a little squirmish. Things have been hectic for the past few days and it has taken a toll on her health. Just that morning, she threw up everything she ate. Nathan was alarmed by her condition and insisted that she went to the hospital for a checkup. He’s sitting with her, holding her palm. They’re outside the doctor’s office. Halsey was asked to undergo some tests and now, the doctor is reading the results.“Nate, I’m fine,” she assures him. “There’s nothing to worry about. Go to work.”“No, I won’t stop worrying until I see the reports!” Nathan insists. “I want to stay here.”Halsey smiles and shakes her head. He’s so persistent in every little thing related to her health. Nathan can’t help it. He lost her once and he can’t lose her again. The moment she started to show signs of being ill, he was overcome with paranoia. He’s thinking about the worst case scenarios and his heart is filled with fear. “Is Jo at school?” Halsey asks.“The guard texted me that she’s s
Over the next few days, Daniel is kept under close observation. Hastings and Lincoln are still missing, something which is looming over everyone’s heads. Nathan is trying to find them but to no avail. He and Halsey are trying to maintain normalcy at home so that Jo doesn’t suspect anything.One night, Nathan arrives home late to find Halsey is still awake. She’s curled up on the couch, reading. When she hears the door open, she looks up and smiles.“Any luck finding them?” she asks when he plops on the seat next to her. “None,” Nathan admits. “I can’t find them. It’s like they’ve vanished.”Halsey is now troubled. Where could they be? Nathan puts his arm around her shoulder. “We’ll find them,” he assures her. “They can’t hide for long.”“I hope so,” she murmurs and hugs him.Meanwhile, miles away from Bayers’ Coast, Lincoln is feeling frustrated. He’s angry and annoyed at being locked up in the house all day. Hastings told him that they’ll be implementing their plan soon but he’s lo
CRASH!The vase breaks into thousands of tiny pieces. Standing above the broken ceramic is Lincoln, with wild red eyes. He’s in a murderous rage and he breaks everything in his vicinity. Hastings is on a couch, bored of the man-child’s drama but Lincoln is on a warpath.“I’LL KILL THEM ALL!” Lincoln shouts. “THEY’VE BETRAYED ME-”“You were stupid enough to trust a stranger,” Hastings yawns. “You should’ve come to me instead. Just like your dad did. Your stupidity cost us the hospital. If you had your shares, we’d have been unbeatable today.”Lincoln shoots him a glare but Hastings doesn’t care. They’re at Lincoln’s farmhouse, a property he had purchased a few months back in secret. Lincoln can’t fathom his loss. Jamie and Damien double crossed him but he’s more shocked by Salvez.“My father is a fool! He only wants his business to be safe but I don’t care about all that!” Lincoln yells. “I just want Halsey!”“And I want revenge against Nathan Michell,” Hastings says. “The best way to
Daniel and Lincoln stand up, shocked. They gape at Nathan who’s grinning. “What’s the meaning of this?” Daniel snarls at Salvez. “Why are you withdrawing your support? And isn’t he the head of the Michell family? He’s your enemy!”“My father is merely supporting me,” Damien calmly says. Daniel rounds on him.“Did you forget that I saved you all those years ago? I gave you a new heart!”“By killing the woman I love,” Damien quietly says. This makes Daniel even more furious. Lincoln is glaring at Jamie but she’s smug. Nathan takes charge.“Fifty five percent of the shares have been transferred to me,” he tells his father. “You’re not the chairperson of this hospital anymore. I am. It’s over for you, dad.”Daniel glares at Nathan while Lincoln is silent. He’s too shocked, too numb to say anything. Once again, he has lost. This can’t be happening, he tells himself. It’s all a bad dream!But it’s not. It’s real and it’s happening. Nathan has taken over the hospital and effectively, Linco
Nathan is sitting on the couch, thinking hard. It’s past three o’clock in the morning and he’s not sleepy. On the contrary, he’s feeling agitated about what’s going to happen in a few hours. Even if everything seems to go according to his plan, he’s still nervous. What if something goes wrong? Even one misstep can ruin years of hard work.Halsey stirs in her sleep and rolls over to the side to hug Nathan only to find the spot to be empty. She slowly opens her eyes to find him on the couch, drinking alone. He looks worried and this in turn, worries her.“What’s wrong?” she asks as she approaches him. “Why are you awake at this hour?”“Can’t sleep,” Nathan mutters as he takes a sip from his drink. Halsey sighs and sits next to him. She pours a glass of whiskey for herself. Nathan is slightly surprised.“When did you start drinking whiskey?” He asks.“I don’t drink it,” she admits. “I just wanna give you company right now, that’s all. Why? You don’t like it when I drink?”“It’s up to yo