For the next few days, Nathan avoids Halsey. He doesn't acknowledge her when she's working in the penthouse nor does he call for her. Halsey should be relieved but in reality, she's damn miserable.One morning, Halsey is late to work because she had a splitting headache at night. She sneaks in through the door only to find Prudence standing there, looking furious."Where the hell have you been?" She screams at Halsey. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"Prudence hates Halsey because of the apparent closeness the nerd shares with their boss. She has been a maid at the penthouse only for a month and Nathan is already taking her to balls and meetings! This enrages Prudence, who is pining for the Young Master."I was sick-" Halsey tries to explain but Prudence shoves a mop in her hands."Scrub the floors!" She barks. "Once you're done, clean young miss' room.""Yes…"Halsey starts to mop the floor. She knows that she'll have to mop the entire penthouse which will take hours. Her limbs
*8:30 PM at the Calypso Hotel* The elevator door slides open to reveal a pair of men. One is a large man in his forties with a thin mustache and a long scar across his face. His partner is shorter and thinner. He has scruffy brown hair with a bald patch on his head. “Is everything done, Lance?” The large man asks. His voice is gruff, almost sadistic. He gives his partner a glare as if threatening him. “Yeah yeah!” Lance groans in his squeaky voice. “We won’t mess up this time, Kal. I’ve already talked to the guards. The little kid is in that house!” Lance nods. They had been observing this hotel for the past month, planning carefully. The guards who will be on duty are on their payroll and have already informed them that the girl will be alone tonight. There will be a maid watching over her but they can take care of her easily. “If we mess up this time, Salvez will know,” Kal winces. “We must take her tonight!” “I just hope the father doesn’t return,” Lance says. “The guards told
Halsey and Jo are seated in Nelson’s living room. Jo is curiously watching the small yet cozy house which has a warm touch. Halsey is shocked and grieving for her late teacher. She remembers him as a strict but kind person who was good to all his students. Lincoln spoke highly of him and it was his wish to be in the basketball team under Nelson someday. But why did Lincoln not know about his death? Tilda returns to the room with a few albums and photos. “He used to love you all a lot,” she says. “Always spoke highly of his students. He used to know their parents as well and kept an eye on his students’ wellbeing.” She shows her several pictures of Coach Nelson over the years. Halsey smiles as she observes the old man with fondness. “He was a good man,” she nods. “But why did he expect me to come looking for him?” “I never asked him but I can never forget that night,” Tilda shudders. “A few years ago, one of his students was involved in a murder case. Uncle couldn’t believe it so
There’s a commotion at the penthouse. The guards who were on duty last night are rounded up and dragged to the study room. Jason, Trent, Gerald, and Parker are glaring at the meek guards who are begging for mercy.They’ve all been tied up and tortured for information. Large gashes on their backs are oozing out blood and they’re all groaning in pain.Standing in front of them is Nathan with his hands in his pockets. He’s quiet but his rage is unmistakable. They’re all scared of him, his unpredictable nature only adding to their fears. One of the guards pee in public, scared of his master.“Forgive us!” Another guard begs. “We were wrong! Please-”WHACK!Nathan kicks him so hard that he falls back. He steps on the pathetic man’s wrist, making him yell in pain.“I’ll ask you one more time,” he whispers. “Where is Jo?”His work was complete so he returned early that morning only to find Jo and Halsey missing. His men searched everywhere and finally unearthed footage from a CCTV camera tha
Nathan freezes in shock. Coach Nelson is…dead?“That’s not possible!” He claims. “I met him-”“I know that he came to meet you in jail,” Halsey says. “It’s all in Charlotte’s phone. Look!”She shows him the phone which she found in Nelson’s house. “The last message she sent you was the address of the old Reynolds’ House! And this video…”Halsey plays Nelson’s last video for him. Nathan watches it intently, confused. Why was Nelson so sure that Halsey would try to look for him?And who’s Anita Jones?“I’m sure if we can find Doctor Anita Jones, we’ll be able to find the murderer!” Halsey insists. Nathan raises an eyebrow.“Doctor?” He questions her. “How do you know she’s a doctor? It wasn’t mentioned by Nelson.”“I…Halsey hesitates. “That day I snuck out of the hotel to go to the hospital,” she admits.She expects Nathan to be angry but he simply says, “Go on.”“I stopped by at Doctor Jacobs’ office to apologize for not being able to visit him when I stumbled upon my file. Doctor Ani
Halsey is nervous about the meeting. Nathan has sent her completely alone to the place which turned out to be an upscale club. There are groups of people dancing on the dance floor below while a large bar is entertaining the guests with drinks. The crowd is kind of strange. Halsey spots several girls, presumably underage, catering to men much older than them. A strange mist is swirling around her, making her uncomfortable. This isn’t a place Halsey would normally visit. It’s too loud and shady for her taste. Being all alone there is making her anxious. “Aren’t you gonna do anything?” Jamie mutters to a masked man sitting next to her. It’s Nathan. They’ve followed Halsey from the hotel without her knowledge. Nathan keeps his distance from her, watching her from afar as she attends her date with Lincoln. His jaw muscles tighten. He won’t show it on his face but he’s incredibly jealous. It’s petty but the thought of Halsey being with Lincoln is driving him nuts. As long as she’s under
Halsey is washing her hands in the sink. She stares at her reflection on the mirror, contemplating many things. Lincoln lied to her. He lied about Nelson’s death. Why? Why did he say that?Ever since she came out of her coma, everything has been too complicated. Lincoln and Daniel are hiding things from her, lying to her about Charlotte’s death. Daniel doesn’t matter to her so his lies don’t shock her but why is Lincoln lying? What’s his deal?And Nathan had to pay for these lies…She touches her chest, feeling her heart pounding hard. Thinking about Nathan makes her sad. She should be running far away from him but his duality is making her more curious. Sometimes, he hates her but other times, he’s rushing to save her. It was him who came to rescue her many years ago. He was the one she called out for. When was this? Was this when she fell into a coma? Or before that? What happened in these missing years?“You seem to be in a fix.”Halsey is startled and turns to find a pretty woma
Her sweet scent is filling his senses, intoxicating him. For a moment, he’s transported back to the night when he first kissed her at the dark alley. He can still remember how the kiss felt, sweet and passionate. Halsey’s eyes are closed but she can taste his lips, a familiar and intense feeling arising within her.She’s about to back off but Nathan presses his lips harder against hers, deepening the kiss. He pushes her until her back hits a wall and ferociously smooches her as if he can’t have enough of her. Halsey is swayed by the moment, her heart thumping against her chest. His tongue is caressing hers and they’re consumed by the flames of their feelings.Her fingers are buried in his hair and he’s holding her by the waist. She moans a little when he nibbles on her lower lip, a crazed heat pulsing through both of their veins. Nathan can feel her soft body leaning against him, her moans are like music to his ears. He can’t deny his own feelings anymore.He missed her. He missed thi
*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