Thanks for reading. I'm glad Oliver is taking a chance with Jayden while he goes through this mess, I want to hear your thoughts.
Everything went on quietly for the next four days. Jayden’s case moved to court, and the trial began last week with the witness set to testify against him. Jayden kept his head up through it, and the announcement that Plane Enterprise would acquire his company became even bigger news than his trial. While some called it a cheap trick to save the company, others thought it was noble. When asked, I told the press I was doing what I thought was right for a loyal friend. When asked my opinion about him and the trial, I was honest. Jayden was innocent; they were sending the wrong man to jail, and that was messed up. The six troublemakers, including Vivian, who was out of the country, kept close contact with each other. Jayden was certain they would send us in to testify in court regarding his trial. I picked up my phone with Max as the caller ID and said, “What a surprise, Max; this must be special.” I said, laughing. Max was the last person I expected to get a call from because, out of
Imela's POVI finished the last piece of the file before me with a heavily beating heart, and I shut the file and cleared my desk. I grabbed my bag and rose to my feet, done for the rest of the day. There was only one thing on my mind: the birthday party Oliver was throwing me tonight. He kept me up last night with his sweet talks. I couldn't tell him his voice had turned me on; his voice had done that to me many times in the past week. He had promised me my present on my birthday, and so I took solace in that, counting down to the days that would lead to us being alone.When it was midnight, he wished me a happy birthday and told me to go to bed. It was a command, and my body followed immediately because I was asleep within minutes.This morning, he called while I was getting ready for work to wish me a happy birthday again and remind me of the day ahead. Good thing it was Friday. Marcel wished me a happy birthday and gave me a gold bracelet, and Ocean gave me a box of chocolate. The
We arrived at the event venue, the Yellow Flur. The name sounded familiar, and when I asked Max, he told me it belonged to Sir Lockwood, Oliver's friend. Nina found her way into the crowd to mingle with those she knew while holding onto Ocean. The hall wasn't massive, but it provided a sense of luxury and comfort. It was also appealing; the musical band played at the back while the people acquainted and conversed with each other. Almost everyone I knew and cared about except for Marcel was here, and I meant everyone. Then, I remembered that Oliver had worked closely with Ingrid to bring about the success of the day. So, though Oliver didn't know many of those here, Ingrid did and invited them. The first face I saw was Fermín holding onto Ocean with one hand and a glass of wine in his other hand. For a second, I believed I was hallucinating his presence, but Ocean was wearing the same outfit we left home in, and it couldn't be a dream. It was real; Fermín was here. I stood stunned a
“Oliver, hey!” I called with a beaming smile. “Hello, Ela!” He smiled back, and his eyes took a moment to take me in from head down. He looked satisfied with what he saw, which showed in his blue eyes. “Happy birthday; you look amazing.” “Thank you, and thank you. The dress is perfect. Just like everything you’ve put together for the night.” I gushed, unable to help. “I saw Fermín. You didn’t have to.” I couldn’t imagine how awkward it must have been for him and Fermín. Both men have displayed a high level of maturity to make today perfect. His smile deepened. “Anything to make you as happy as you look now is the right thing to do.” “That’s so sweet; that’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever done.” His smile narrowed. “And you’re the sweetest thing ever.” I didn’t have a word to say in response, but I wanted to kiss him, so I drew closer when he spoke. “I can’t.” I pulled back with a confused look, but I didn’t get to speak because he continued, “If I kissed you now, I wouldn’t want
It was after I kissed him that I realised I didn't want to stop kissing him. It took all my willpower to pull away from him and regain my composure while he stood beside me.I gave a thank-you speech to everyone present and told them to enjoy the night, and after four hours of being here, I knew it was time to leave.Oliver took my hand and led me out of the party hall and into our already-waiting car. He got into the back seat after me and pressed the privacy compartment as he shut the door. He kissed me hungrily and pulled me against his body.I kissed back, giving him just as much as I was receiving.I didn't know where the driver was taking us, but since he belonged to Oliver, I didn't bother. At this point, I'd gladly go with him wherever he wanted."You don't know how much I wanted this," he mumbled into the kiss and cupped my breasts, pushing them together. "Gorgeous."I moaned, and my eyes rolled to the back when his fingers found my nipples through the fabric. He kissed me ag
Oliver was still asleep when my lashes fluttered, and I found his arms loosely around me. I didn't want to wake him up; he looked too cute. It wasn't morning yet; I'd say four a.m. at best.I smiled, reminiscing about yesterday's memories and being pleased with them. It felt like old times, unable to keep our hands off each other. My hand trailed over the necklace on my neck, and my stomach fluttered happily. It was the best birthday I ever had, and coming home with him made it even better.He snored lightly, and I glanced at him.My boyfriend.That term felt strange. He was once my boyfriend, then my husband, and then became a stranger, but we have come a long way together. I appreciated every step and every turn that brought us here now. I wouldn't trade it for anything else."You're already awake." Oliver's hoarse voice made me shiver, and goosebumps erupted over my skin."I am." I stared up at him with a smile. "You're awake now, too.""Yeah, because you were no longer asleep." Hi
“No! Let me go; put me down.” I screamed and kicked as the two men grabbed me tightly and hurled my body towards the bridge. My breath cut in my throat, and my heart tightened, knowing what they wanted to do. Not again. I sought more strength—to get out of their firm grip. It was the escape I needed, but I found none. “Please, no. Please don’t do this. Don’t do this. I beg you, please. Let me go; I'm begging you!” They brought me to the edge of the bridge, and they both let go at the same time. It took a few seconds before my heavy body fell into the water, and I began to drown. I struggled to swim, but I couldn’t find the strength. I had lost all the strength and will, and just before my eyes closed, I saw her standing above the water with a victorious look on her face. Ivory. My eyes snapped open in bed, and sweat broke over my skin. The nightmare had returned, and unlike the others that ended after the men threw me off the bridge, this continued even after I fell into the wa
Nina finally went public with her abuse after three weeks of healing silently. She had acquired all the CCTV DVR a day after escaping by reaching out to Ferdinand, the security man, who agreed to help immediately after learning what she needed. With Eddie still unconscious and in the hospital then, there was the assurance the tapes hadn't been tampered with yet, and thus, it made it the best time to act. Eddie's recovery had been slow, but he was out of the hospital and back home. He had avoided the spotlight and refrained from speaking to the press about his attack.Once everything was in place, Nina made her move and also announced that she was getting a divorce from him, and this was a long time coming. She expressed the pain, shame, and guilt she felt while she went through three years of the psychological nightmare she called marriage. She was also filing for sole custody of Jesse. Eddie had never been a part of parenting him since birth, and she had carried all the responsibilit
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