“What do we do now?” Jade asked, turning to look at Racheal.“I have to go in.” She said, already opening the door.“I will come with you.” Jade said.“That would be too suspicious. I will wait for you to get back to the car, then I will dial your number and put my phone in my purse so you can hear me.”She thought of Steffan, he might call, and her line would be engaged.He can wait. She did not think he would find Skylar in the ten minutes it would hopefully take her to get the permit, and get out.Jade looked down at the straw purse her friend was holding, and nodded.“Racheal.” She called as she got out of the car.She looked back.“Your scarf.”Racheal paused, and remembered.She felt her head and took the scarf off and gave it to Jade.Then she opened the door, and looked up at the front windows of Chloe’s house.All the blinds were drawn shut. She looked down the road, the street was still quiet.She casually walked out of the car, past the well-tended lawns and up to Chloe’s f
“You wouldn’t dare.” Racheal said, as she felt the jagged edge of the knife scrape her skin lightly.If there was anything she realized after two months in Yin, she was valuable, and she doubted anyone would really risk harming her. There was Steffan’s wrath to think of too.Chloe let out a laugh.“You are trespassing on my property. I can do anything I want with you.” She whispered, moving her face close to Racheal’s. Racheal stared in the woman’s green eyes. She did not like what she saw there.Chloe had the knife too close to her throat for her to move though. Or she could just take a risk and step back. She doubted the woman would hurt her, but what if she was a crazy person like Thalia? She might just hurt her, damning all the consequences.She felt the woman’s hand settle on her hips. She winced. “Stop.” She hissed.“Does Steffan stop when you ask him to?”“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes.” She wondered what everyone’s deal was with Steffan. It was sick that th
“This way, Ma’am,” Isaac said. They had stopped in front of the main villa building, the building that housed her former suite. Racheal walked towards it as if in a daze.The one thing everyone said she had, the one thing her father was so proud that she had, what everyone said made her powerful, she had lost it. She had lost the love of Yin’s citizens“Ma’am.” Isaac said, getting her attention. He was standing before the glass elevator she had ridden so many times in the past. She got in, and he stepped in after her, punching the number to the highest floor.She stared down at the busy lobby as the elevator shot up. She walked out still feeling numb, and Isaac led her to the president’s private quarters. Danna Sherrod was sitting there, but she did not say anything.She just watched her walk in, and take a seat far from her in the living room. This was the same living room that Spencer Sherrod had told her about her new office, and she had watched the news broadcast on the te
Danna Sherrod froze in shock, staring at her daughter, her hand over her mouth, then she started weeping afresh.Spencer Sherrod stood facing the window his wife had been facing before he walked in.He stood very still, his hands behind him.Racheal turned to Steffan with wide eyes. “What happened to her?”Steffan shook his head. “She would not talk. She would not talk to anyone.”She saw he was making an effort to stay in control of his emotions, but he was breaking inside, the look in his eyes was similar to the look he had when he told her about Malorie.Sophie moved away from the wall, and began to edge close to Skylar.“Ma’am.”Skylar turned, her eyes like molten fire.She picked up a glass sculpture by her side, and hurled it at her maid. It missed her by inches, and crashed into a wall at the far end.Everyone froze.“Get the doctor,” Spencer Sherrod commanded, turning around.Two of his securities hurried out, to find the villa doctor as Skylar flew up from her seat.‘I don’t
Racheal stared at father and son, trying to make sense of what they were saying.What did Steffan build for Spencer that meant so much, the thought of it coming down frightened the man so badly?Did this have anything to do with what Chloe, Delbert and even Ben talked about?Both men stared at each other, as Danna Sherrod sobbed harder till a voice broke into their circle.“Your excellency, about your daughter.”Everyone turned to look at the doctor with expectant eyes.“She is awake. She is fine, but we found a high amount of heroin in her blood, and she seems to be suffering some withdrawal symptoms.” The doctor said, “Were you aware she was a substance abuser?”“How dare you?” Danna Sherrod said, and slapped the doctor. "Do you know who you are talking about? My daughter would never abuse drugs.”Everyone froze in shock.The doctor looked hurt, but he quickly repaired his expression.“The tests showed a large amount of the drug in her blood.”“You are still saying it.”“Mother,” St
Racheal stood outside the hospital much later as she watched a sleeping Skylar being wheeled into a waiting ambulance. She was being transferred to a rehabilitation center just outside the capital.She slipped her hand in Steffan’s who was staring at the ambulance as the lights blinked in the night. They watched the ambulance drive off.“Let’s go home.” He said, gripping her hand more firmly. No one knew where Hamza was. She should have asked Skylar when she was still in her good moments.They climbed into the car and drove in silence. Racheal feared the protesters may still be outside, but when they drew close to the villa gates, she saw it was empty.She sighed in relief, thinking about how best to get out of this mess. She was still not sure she fully understood it. With all the troubles lately, she had not had time to. She glanced at Steffan, he was lost in his own thoughts and staring out of the window. As the car stopped outside their house, he slipped his hand out of he
All Racheal’s efforts to get an audience with the president the next day proved abortive. She went to the office, although she had not planned to work that day. His P.A said unless she was invited, she would need to make an appointment to see him. When she asked to make an appointment, she was told the next open spot was eight months away. She was left speechless. This was her father-in-law. She could discuss this with him over breakfast if she had not stopped the breakfast ritual with them. She decided to wait till evening and see if she could get him home. But all three times she went there, he was not home.Danna Sherrod saw her as she turned to leave the third time.“Racheal.” She was no longer the angry woman from yesterday. Racheal stopped and bowed to the woman.“I was here to speak with the president.”“Oh. About the children.”“Yes. I would like a press conference to say that it was never my intention. And I need him to approve my request to scrap the plan.”“That wil
Racheal found a way to remain calm throughout that night and the next morning. Asad Achillie cannot be hanged for something so minor, right? Since she had not sent it to her father, it was not in the enemy’s grasp. He could honestly say the permit was not with the country’s enemies.On the other hand, she felt relieved that the man had not mentioned her name, just like she gambled on. Such a proud and honorable man would rather die than admit he was in the house of Yin’s most popular mistress, that he had lost such an important document in a mistress’s house.“Are you OK?” Steffan asked.They were walking down the stairs, he in boxing gear, she in a casual blue milkmaid dress. She clutched the Burr-basket she had made for Skylar in her hand.“Yes.” She smiled tightly at him.“If you are worried about the protesters, that is being handled. Father said we can have the press conference as soon as we get back.She nodded, not really hearing him. How would she solve the issue of Asad