NoraAs soon as I opened the door and saw Klaus standing in front of it, looking as charming and innocent as could be, I felt a mix of emotions: anger, irritation, and pain, with the most palpable being anger. Right then, the thought of the things he had done flashed like a movie in my mind.In a matter of seconds, I was about to let a swindler, rapist, betrayer, liar, and worst of all, murderer into my house. The thought of that alone made a cocktail of dread and anger cling to the walls of my stomach.“Be calm, Nora. Remember you need to put up the perfect act to look believable,” Kara warned.She was right; she was absolutely right. I stretched my lips into a false weak smile, making it appear as real as possible. I made sure the look of pain saturated my eyes just so that he knew I was still very hurt from the events of the past.His expression was soft; his blue eyes held an equal amount of uncertainty and pain. For some reason, staring into them for a few seconds made my heart f
NoraI felt my blood still at his words as a cold shiver ran down my spine. He wasn't there the night my family members died? Was this him trying to play a trick on me? There was something about the way he said it, the sincerity in his voice that made him sound almost believable.I frowned. He must think me a fool. He must have come with a cooked-up story hoping to serve it to me and watch as I eat it without spotting anything wrong. He must think I am still that naive girl from five years ago who would believe everything she was told.That girl who had gone to his house the night after her parents had died hoping he would say he had nothing to do with their deaths… If he had said that, I would have believed him and fought against the whole world with him. That was how much I had loved and trusted him. But right now, things are different. Right now, I am a grown woman who knows better.I leaned into my seat and scoffed, deciding to engage him in a conversation laced with sarcasm. “I
KlausIt has been a week since I visited Nora and poured out my heart to her, revealing secrets of the past. After she sent me out of her house in a fit of anger, I went home and sent her another apology through a text message, letting her know how sorry I was and how ready I was to make amends.I was surprised to receive a response from her; the text read:"I have forgiven you, Klaus... Actually, I was a bit mad at myself then, for blaming you for all that happened these past five years, only to find out that you were a victim too. Let's start off on a clean slate."Ever since then, my life has changed for the better. We have been texting and calling each other.Over here in my father's house, preparations for the wedding were still ongoing. I am yet to tell my father and Claudia that I am not interested in going on with the marriage. Every day when I talk to Nora, I find reasons why I should end things with Claudia. I know marriage with her won't work, but I just do not know how to
NoraBeta Ken and Grace came over to my house earlier today, and we all went to check out a project that had just started, all thanks to Frank making good on his promise of supporting us with $30 million.I got back home around 2 p.m., already very tired from all the sightseeing and supervision we had to do. I was quite famished and decided to fix myself a meal when a knock came at my door.I instantly felt elated. Why was I feeling this way, and why does it have to be towards him? I combed my hand through my hair to give it some volume and patted my face dry with my handkerchief.On getting to the door, I suppressed my excitement and took a deep breath as I didn't want to give anything away. As soon as I opened the door, the excitement that was still lingering in my eyes died a little. What the hell is wrong with you, Nora? You should be excited seeing your best friend standing outside the door… why did you suddenly become low-spirited?“You didn't tell me you were coming,” I said,
NoraI immediately opened the message with my trembling hands.“It has come to our knowledge that the preparation of the wedding is still ongoing, which means you have not been effective in getting Klaus to call it off. Remember, you have less than two weeks to pull this mission off. If that wedding holds, Jasmine dies.”My eyes widened in horror as I stared at my screen. I felt hot heat seep through my veins. Kill my daughter?I rose to my feet and paced around my room. I ran a trembling hand through my hair, pulling it hard. It is true that I have been going steady with Klaus, letting him know I am interested in him, but in light of this new message, I need to do more. Maybe I need to tell him clearly how I feel about him. Yes, I have said I like him before during one of our calls, but this time, I think I need to take things a notch higher.Should I go to his house and tell him I missed him so much that I had to come to see him? No. That might escalate things pretty quickly in the
KlausI had just come back with Justin and had called my father and Claudia down to the parlor for a brief meeting when Nora called. I was surprised to see her call since we had already spoken today. We only speak once a day. Upon seeing her call, I excused myself for a moment and stepped outside of the parlor to answer. Who knows, the call might be very crucial and could help determine if what I was about to do was the right thing. I ignored the scowl on my father's face when I left; he doesn't like to be kept waiting. I bet he would do more than scowl when I reveal my reason for wanting to see them.After the call with Nora, I was completely shocked.She was in love with me? Today was indeed my very lucky day. Her words gave me the final boost I really needed. I excitedly tucked my cellphone into my pocket and went straight to the parlor. “What is it, Klaus? Why did you call this meeting?” My father's angry and impatient voice filled the room. Claudia, thinking she had an inklin
NoraI was fast asleep when I heard the doorbell ring. I stirred, unsure if I had heard correctly. It had probably been in my dream. I was, in fact, having a beautiful dream, one in which I was reunited with my lovely children. Jasmine was in a man's arms, excitedly showing him a toy she had made out of nothing but paper.Justin, who was standing beside him, held onto one of his hands while he carried Jasmine with the other. Jeremy was beside him too. They all had their backs to me, but the man's body frame looked very familiar. Could that be Klaus? No…it can't be him, it has to be someone else. It wasn't until Jeremy turned, saw me, and then called out to the man, "Daddy, Daddy, look, Mummy is here."As soon as the man turned, my eyes widened."Klaus?" I called out, bewildered, only to be met with a wide grin from him.The doorbell rang again, pulling me from my thoughts. I immediately jerked up and got out of bed. My eyes darted towards the wall clock."11:30 pm."I wondered just w
NoraI was absolutely dumbfounded. There was no way this was happening right now. I shut my eyes for a while and opened them, surely I would wake up from my dream right now, but no… In front of me was Klaus, still bent on one knee.I got up to my feet, unable to feel my legs. My mind spiraled with so many thoughts as I looked at him.I was in panic mode. What do I say? How do I continue with this mission now that it has come to this?The look in Klaus’ eyes showed he wanted this more than anything else. What should I do?“Accept the proposal, Nora… why are you even thinking twice about it?” Kara queried.“I don't know… what if I finish the mission and decide I do not want to marry him anymore?”“Then you leave! You wouldn't be the first person to have broken off an engagement before… Heck! He did that moments ago to Claudia… Think, Nora, think! If you reject him right now, he might just go back to Claudia!”She was right. If I told Klaus right now that things were moving too fast and