I needed the seven hours of sleep I got after I came home. My body, taking cues that it was at home and on my bed, shut down and locked in to get me everything I needed. I didn't complain because after waking up, I called Nina, who told me Oliver had yet to regain consciousness.With this sleep, I would focus on what I needed to do before returning to Oliver's side, where I belonged.I received a call from the police station a few hours after I got home. Marcel followed me, and while Caesar drove, Benjamin stayed beside him in the front seat.Harrison Mars was already waiting at the station when we arrived. Marcel called him. He asked how I was doing, and his tone held concern. I told him I was fine, and he told me only to give information relevant to their question, which I did after I stepped into their questioning room.The police disclosed the discoveries they had made so far, and the cell phone found in Gail's pocket had a number. They traced the number and saw that it came from
Oliver's POV."I love you too," I replied, smiling, and she touched my face to wipe my tears. "What about him? The attacker? What are the police saying about him then?" I asked as she pulled away.She exhaled, "The man who attacked us was one of the duo that attacked me all those years and later attempted to drown me. I was wrong about who he was, though. All these years, I thought Ivory had been behind my attack, but she wasn't. She denied your accusations because she had no clue about them. It wasn't Ivory; it was Cecil. She tried to have me killed, and this was her third attempt on my life. The first time I was attacked, the men she sent wanted it to look like suicide, and the same with the second, and even yesterday, Gail wanted it to look like I took my own life. I thought Ivory sent them until he shot you and was going to kill you without thinking twice. Ivory loves you too much to want to cause you harm. That left room for one more person. Cecil, she wanted me dead and would ad
Imela’s POV. Last month went by slowly. Oliver was discharged after two weeks in the hospital, and Cecil was arrested after multiple pieces of evidence linked her to Gail. We also learned that the second man in the duo died a few weeks before my attack. Gail confessed to killing him when he declined the job to hunt me down for the third time and kill me. Their trial started with Cecil facing life in prison. While in police custody, we discovered Cecil was not pregnant, despite making Oliver and the world believe she was. It didn’t surprise me. She was sick and twisted in the head and would use every and any means to keep Oliver trapped with her, including faking a pregnancy. The news of that, as well as our attack, had taken over all celebrity news with attention and speculation on Cecil’s ongoing trial. I had gotten a few invitations from TV hosts asking me to come and speak about my experience on their shows, all of which I declined. I also got a few suggestions to write a book ab
Third POV It was the grand opening of the Lockwood Casino in Las Vegas today. Sir had been working on getting a permit from the state government and everything else necessary for a few years. Seeing it all become a reality was something to be happy about. Unfortunately for the troublemakers, Jayden's final hearing was scheduled for the same day as the grand opening of the Lockwood casino. Sir immediately thought to change the date when the news broke, despite having already sent the invitation out. Jayden told him not to put his life on hold for him. He promised he would win his case and join them in the after party, not only to celebrate Sir's success but also his victory in trial. So, Vivian and Oliver would be present at the grand opening, and Connor and Maxwell would be at Jaden's final hearing. This would even out the day. After the trial, they would fly to Vegas to join them. The six agreed to this plan. Oliver invited Imela to be a part of the day, and despite her tight sched
Book #2 Imela's POV "Are you sure you want to come along?" Oliver inquired, staring at me with weary eyes. I bit my lips and nodded. "There is no place I'd rather be right now," I answered. This past week has been a difficult time, not just for him but for the rest of his friends as well. I wanted to be a part of it and give him all the support he needed. Jayden's sentence surprised all of them. They had looked forward to him beating and coming out victorious last week, but the verdict had rocked all their worlds in a new and terrible way. They had planned to throw an afterparty to celebrate three things: Sir's grand opening of the Lockwood casino, Jayden's victory in court, and our engagement, but all that was halted by the verdict. Jayden White would serve a five-year sentence for a crime he didn't commit. It was painful and also powerful to see friends stick out for each other through tough times. We entered the visitor's hall, and the guards were already informed about w
Oliver’s POV The door cracked open after a small knock, and turning around, I found Robert standing at the door, already dressed in his grey three-piece suit and vest. He came over an hour ago, saying he wanted to get ready here, but a part of me felt there was more to it than he was letting on. Since he didn’t say anything more, I didn’t push. I knew it had something to do with Ivory being absent on this particular day, but I wanted him to come out with whatever was bothering him on his own. “You are keeping an eye on me to make sure what happened last time won’t repeat itself?” I asked with a raised brow. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the doorframe. “I know it won’t repeat itself because, unlike what you had with Cecil, you seem to be chasing this one with your mind and soul,” he replied confidently. He was right, and I was, but I didn’t think it was evident to him. I didn’t care, though; it was a good thing that everyone could see my dedication to Ela. T
Imela’s POVStaring at myself in the mirror, I knew Nina and Ingrid were right. I wore a trumpet wedding gown with lace sleeves. Ingrid chose it because it provided comfort and elegance, and when Nina, who went along with me, saw it, she agreed that it would look so good on me. My hair was in a big braid, which was later made into a bun with a few curls dangling over my face. With the makeup setting the tone, it did well to highlight my neck and collarbone.“Mommy’s so pretty.” Ocean gushed as he ran to stand before me while the makeup artist finished his work on my face.I smiled at Ocean and reached for him. He wore his grey three-piece suit and black bow tie, just like his daddy's men. His hair was in a neat braid because he liked it after seeing it on TV. He was the perfect mini-groom, and he would accompany the bride according to plans.He ran into my arms, giggling happily. “Thank you, my love.”“It’s your wedding?”I nodded. “Mommy is marrying Daddy today, and we are going to t
My head dropped, and the tears fell to the floor because I feared I would ruin my dress if I didn’t. Oliver was a smooth talker, and he always got to me. I thought his vows would be lines I’d heard before, and though some were, they still had a significant impact on how genuine they were.Oliver offered me his handkerchief, and I took it and wiped the tears away before looking back up. I sniffed and cleared my throat. “There is no way what I wrote beats that,” I mumbled to him.He shook his head. “I know your heart, and that will be enough.”I bit my bottom lip and nodded. Nina handed me the small notebook I had written my vows in, and I flipped the pages. “I love you, Oliver Michael Plane, and I wish I knew why. If I did, perhaps it wouldn’t be love anymore. I loved you the first day I saw you, and after six years, I still love you. You always stress that you’re not perfect, and perhaps that’s what makes you perfect to me. If given the chance to start all over, I will pick you, Olive
Three months later "You can stop here, Caeser; I will walk on from here," Imela said as the gate came to the cemetery gate. Caeser turned off the car and got down to open the door for her. She told him she would not be long, and he waited for her. She stared ahead at the gravestone not so far from her and walked towards it. "It's been a while, Grandma," she said, placing the red rose on the grave and sitting beside it. Today was the perfect day to visit because Imela had less work on her plate, which made her close early. Having already had it in mind to visit sometime this week, she headed here after leaving the hospital to do the needful before going back home. The last time she came to see was a few days after Christmas, and that was six months ago. She had so much to say then because a part of her felt she was going crazy and needed direction and focus. Since then, she hasn't found the time to return to the series of events taking place around her. "I want you to know that Oli
Third POV Max was almost done with his tie when Nina stepped back into the room. “I just got off the phone with Imela,” she said, slipping her phone into her purse. They were getting ready for Jayden’s release party. It was a get-together and celebration with family and close friends only, and since there wouldn’t be many people, Sir offered Lockwood Corner for the night. It was a secluded VIP corner in his club in the heartthrob of the city. There will be music, drinks, and fun. This would be Jayden’s official welcome. His final hearing was this morning, and with the new evidence that came to light, the judge had no choice but to exonerate Jayden of the charges of drug trafficking. With the news of his release came the need to celebrate the victory. The troublemakers will not pass up this opportunity. Nina was already dressed in a red maxi dress, which stopped over her knee. Her blonde hair was in a neat bun, and her makeup highlighted her already attractive features. Max's eyes g
Joe's body hit the ground with a loud thud. I gasped and took to my heels, running into the bushes around the building as fast as my legs could take me. I didn’t have direction; I just didn’t want to die. I heard another gunshot, and pain shot through my shoulder the next second, taking me down. The gun had grazed my shoulder, and the protection I got was from my dress. I hid behind a tree in the woods, keeping my presence there as minimal as possible. I heard careful footsteps heading to where I was, and I knew it was Cecil's. I had to calm down and calculate my next move if I hoped to stay alive. I counted down the last step, and the first thing I saw was the gun held out. With calculated risk, I reached for it, and we both struggled. Finally, I took it from her hand, but before I could point it at her, she slammed her palm against my hand, and the gun fell out into the bush. I threw a quick fist, which met her in the face, and before she could recover, I kicked her onto the gro
Imela's POV Cecil's phone rang, and she pulled it out of her pocket to look at it. "It's Dad," she said, stepping back from Joe. "I have to take this; keep an eye on her." She instructed before stepping away from the room. Joe stood at the door with his hands folded over his chest. He had kept his gaze anywhere but near me. It didn’t take a genius to know he was only in this to make Cecil happy. Sad, he didn’t know there was no way to make a crazy person like Cecil happy. He was as much a victim of Cecil and Marlo as all of us were. “I understand.” I told him, and this brought his attention to me. “What?” "Why you threw your life away for her? You love her, and we will do anything for the one we love.” I replied. “You hurt her; she believes she has to do this because of what you did to her.” His defensive response came, sounding like someone brainwashed by love. “Cecil is not a bad person; she has been judged, misunderstood, and abandoned by those she once called family. You did
"I was never crazy. It was you all along." Imela said as Cecil got down from the Jeep and walked towards the uncompleted building on the left side of the road, and Joe pulled her along. Cecil and Joe had taken Imela out of the Garcia Group firm and into the parking lot, where she saw Benjamin unconscious beside the car. She tried going to him, but Joe held onto her and pulled her into the black Jeep parked opposite her car. "You killed Kimberly and framed me; you killed Elena; you tried to kill Ocean, just like you tried to kill me many times. Did you kill Chan, too?" Imela demanded. If Chan were alive, he would have uncovered the truth that Cecil was out and behind everything a long time ago. He had died suddenly at the beginning of it all, and she had believed the McCann brothers had done it. That wasn't true; Cecil was behind the murder of Detective Chan. The satisfied look that appeared on Cecil's face further proved it. "He helped you put me in prison; he had it coming. Beside
Oliver's POV Flashback I made my way over to where Nina stood, waiting for me outside the restaurant. I didn’t know why she had decided to meet outside today when we had always met at my place. We hugged and walked into the restaurant for lunch like every Saturday. After I got my place, she began coming there, and we would cook and eat and catch up on everything we had missed out on during the week, from study to work and everything. “You know, when you said you wanted to see me, I thought you would come to the house like you used to,” I said as we took our seats at the table on the left side of the restaurant, close to the window. She gave me a half smile and said, “I cannot come; Cecil is there.” She didn’t try to hide it, and most of the time, we have just moved on from the discussion altogether. She disapproved of Cecil, and I saw it in her body language and how quiet she tended to be whenever she was around Cecil. I brought Cecil along for her last birthday party, and Nina
Trigger Warning! Violence in this chapter Third POV It all started a year ago. “The first time I saw you, I knew a day would come when I would need you,” Cecil said as she stepped towards Gloria, a splitting image of her. She had met her when she travelled to Puerto Rico on vacation two years ago. They didn’t look so alike at first because Cecil had red hair, a thin eyebrow, and pink lips, while Gloria had blonde hair, a full eyebrow, and red lips. Cecil could also tell Gloria was financially struggling, and it showed in the way she was dressed. Cecil didn’t know why, but she wanted Gloria close, so she helped her into the States, waiting for her to get her papers. After the sentence was carried out, Cecil reached out to Gloria, telling her to play out her part, and in return, she would get her the papers she needed. She already had connections with not only the correction centre but also the warder, so leaving the prison was easier, and all Gloria had to do was pretend to be her u
Imela's POV Jean’s words echoed in my head. The result of the many tests showed I couldn’t have killed Kim; there were more than the two of us at the apartment; someone else had killed her and framed me for it. They had hoped I wouldn’t wake, having injected me with a high dose of lead and solvent. Waking up had thwarted their plans, and the test results vindicated me and showed my innocence.I wanted to think of who could have been responsible for this. I didn’t want to say Cecil; after all, she was in my head. I couldn’t give her credit. Cecil was in prison, and even if she wasn’t, she alone couldn’t have pulled off all of this. There was someone else—someone close to me, someone who knew me and could influence my mind.My phone rang in my bag as I stepped out of the car, snapping me out of my thoughts. I thanked Benjamin, who held the door open for me to step out and pulled the phone out of my purse to see Nina as the caller ID. I answered and pushed open the door. “Nina, hey,” I
My lashes fluttered, and I released a loud yawn. I covered my mouth to reduce the noise so I wouldn’t wake Ela up, but when my hand dropped from my face, I found her already awake and sitting in bed. “You are awake,” I said, noticing her intense gaze on the ceiling. “I remember,” she said. I pulled myself up to sit down, and my brows furrowed, wondering if it was what I was thinking, but I waited for her to keep speaking. “Not everything, but I remembered how I got to Kimberly’s apartment. She called me and sent me her address. She was going to call off the engagement with Marcel and wanted me to hear her reasons first.” She said. “The police checked your phone after you were arrested; they didn’t find a call or any such message,” I told her. Her gaze moved to me. “I am telling the truth.” “I believe you,” I replied, meaning every word. Getting this memory back was a miracle, and this meant there were more than two people in Kim’s apartment, as at the time of her death, the thir