Uh oh, trouble coming
Oliver hadn’t seen her since he confronted her about her relationship with Zion over a month ago. She hadn’t come to the company, and instead, she sent Ingrid to carry out her duties, stressing that her PA was more than capable. At first, he thought that was unprofessional and emailed her concerning it. She referred him to the agreement, which stated that for the first two months, she would oversee the implementations, and that would change after the third month. From the third month, the overseeing would be carried out with someone from the Garcia group team. In the Plane Enterprise case, Imela had spent roughly four months, superseding the time she had stated in the agreement. Oliver had no more quarrel and wondered why he never saw it. Ingrid knew precisely what to do, and he wondered if she was just a P.A. as she posed to be with Imela. She came to assist yesterday and stayed until closing. She was very business-minded and kept everything professional, just like Imela would.
"How long are you going to wallow?" Robb asked from behind.Oliver stilled for a second, then drank his whisky. The last person he thought would find him at the Lockwood bar was his old man. One of his friends had snitched, and his bet was on Vivian; the bastard always cracked at the littlest pressure.There was no judgment in Robb's tone, which was good because Oliver had enough for the day and would throw words and hands if it came to that.After he left the company earlier, he knew coming to the Lockwood bar would not be the best idea. Cecil had her doctor's appointment at ten a.m., and that came first. He called her to ask for directions, as this hospital differed from the others she had gone to with him. It seemed Cecil had taken the cue that his day wasn't going well and wanted to add to it. She told him she would only disclose the location when she was about to leave, so he had to stay in his car on the road and wait until ten a.m.After the doctor's appointment and usual check
Oliver had sent in a letter of apology as requested by Imela, and following its approval, he returned to work. He remembered the many times he issued those out to out-of-control staff members, and now he was an out-of-control staffer. He had a smaller office compared to his former one, but it was enough to fit everything he had. He was like everyone else now: an ordinary staff member taking orders from the boss, but this was temporary. It wasn't close to Imela's office, but not too far away. She wanted him within arms reach-or at least that was what he told himself. Air-Plane's performance, amongst other airlines this past month, was a commendable one. By doing extra, just like Imela instructed, they receive a better outcome than expected. The staff members had to work extra hours, and some pay had to go up a few per cent, but it paid off. After the first week, Imela didn't have to correct the report; everyone knew what to do. The numbers did not lie, and they kept going high. All h
Imela picked up the desk phone as soon as Oliver stepped out, and she dialled Georgie's number. "Inform the security that Mr. Oliver Plane is no longer welcome-" She barely finished giving out the instructions when she received a call from Carol, the maid in the house."Hello, Carol.""Ms. Garcia," she called, and her tone didn't sound as warm as it usually did, and Imela knew something was wrong."What's wrong?" She asked, her mind already going to Ocean."It's your father." She answered. "He suffered a heart attack while he was with Ocean. Ceasar is taking him to the hospital now, and Yille, the cook, went along to keep him stable."Imela's face paled up, and she lost her sense of hearing after Carol gave the news, and it took a few seconds to get it back. "What hospital is he going to??" she asked, reaching for her bag and leaving the office."Ceaser said Lawrence Hospital is the closest, according to the map." She replied.Her heart went out to her son, who must have witnessed Mar
Oliver had gotten into his car three days ago and driven off. He didn't go home, and he turned off his phone so no one would reach him. He had quit his job at the Plane Enterprise, unable to take Ela's tyranny any longer. He had never fared well with dictatorship, which made him hate working with Ivory Plane in the past. It was the same thing with Imela now, and he couldn't take it. He had thrown everything away-his family's legacy, his future, as well as that of his children. But staying felt like self-betrayal. Imela wasn't the only one who made his life hell; Cecil also chose not to be understanding of everything that was happening. He never thought his life would be so out of place, being pushed into the wall by the women who once claimed to love him. He was a coward, though, because he chose to run away instead of facing his troubles like a man. Then, it was unclear, but now he understood why Seth attempted to end it all. When the world is against you, you seek a way out. He c
Oliver got into the car and drove off without looking back at Nina or Jesse. All the way home, he thought back to the many times after his divorce, when he confided in Cecil or when she comforted him and assured him he would be okay because he was stronger than Imela's betrayal. The many times she sat there and played the sweet, innocent girl role when, in fact, she was a snake. He took a snake to bed and had been sleeping on the same bed with her for many years. He almost married her!Fuck!They said the truth hurt, but they didn't say how much.He was mad, and the rage blacked out his vision a few times. Luckily, he didn't hit anyone. He also didn't get pulled over, which was good because he wasn't sure he'd be able to stop the car in the state he was in—not until he got home.He arrived home and went inside, not bothering to shut the car door. He came for Cecil, and luckily, she was home. Her stupid music played in the background, and this time, she played the classics. He heard e
Oliver drove to Lawrence Hospital, where the news reported that Marcel had been since he suffered a heart attack. Knowing everything he knew, he couldn't go to the Plane Enterprise or the Garcia Group in search of her; this was the best place to find her. He got down and made his way into the hospital with a heavily beating heart. A few reporters turned their cameras on him, but he didn't care about that and answered none of their questions as he walked inside, which was easier said than done. He approached the nurse at the counter for directions to where Marcel Garcia was, and he followed the instructions she gave. He was here for Imela, but asking for Marcel's ward would make it easier. He walked through the hallway to the ward and saw Ela step out, holding Ocean's hand. His heart skipped at their sight, and everything else slowed. Seth didn't speak about Ocean, but Oliver didn't need him to. The little angel was his son. This brave young soldier came out of the love he and Ela
"You can come in, Mr Plane. You do not have to lurk around. It's a glass wall, and I can see you." Imela spoke up despite not looking up from whatever she was writing down.He pushed open the door and stepped into the office. "Ms Garcia, I didn't want to interrupt; you looked busy, and I was going to wait," he said."You were already interrupting by standing at the door." She replied, adding, "Is that the report?" While eyeing the file in his hand.He nodded and gave it to her. "We also made our 15% returns for the month." He added."That's nice to know." She said and kept it beside the file she was working on. "I will go through it as soon as I am done here."Usually, this was when he'd take his leave, but he didn't leave, making Imela glance up at him with a raised brow. There was no need for him to be here still, though."Do you want something?" she asked."How's he? Your father?"She had returned to work a few days ago, following Marcel's instructions. He told her he was better an
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