127Alora's POV Fredrick going in and coming out again wasn't the plot twist I saw coming, at all. When he'd turned his back to me, I really thought it was over, and I'd decided that if he didn't come back, I would let him be, before finding a way to salvage the situation. I had no idea how I would have done it, but best believe I was more than grateful that he'd decided to come around. We sat in silence for what seemed like the longest time. If I was in any way correct, it had been approximately thirty minutes since he sat down, since he last spoke. Now, thirty minutes later, he still hadn't said a thing. I was anxious. It was eating me up and it made me wonder how he would be feeling inside. I wasn't the one about to explain something that was probably traumatic, and here I was panicking like I'd shot someone. I sucked in a deep breath, before letting it out again. From the corner of my eyes, I watched Fredrick sitting to the side, and my heart broke into a million pieces.
128Fredrick’s POV Talk it out, they said. It'll make you feel light and a hundred times better, they also said, but I never believed. I really just thought it was another load of bullshit people had come up with. Until I got to experience it myself, that is. When Alora strolled back into the house last night, best believe that had to be the biggest shock of my life. Honestly, I thought I was going to have a heart attack just by staring at her. Yes, she'd been gone for a while, but I didn't expect her to be back so early. Perhaps if Henry hadn't shown up, I would have gone back to bed the moment I realized she was nowhere to be found. But no, he just had to rear his ugly head and ruin things for me. Literally. If I hadn't said it before, or if it wasn't so obvious, I hated him. With every fiber of my being too. I always knew Alora was an angel, but last night, she'd proven it to me. Heaven knows I half expected her to lash out at me yesterday. She had every right to though,
129Fredrick's POV I needed a drink, and it wasn't even noon yet. My head was a mess, and it didn't help that my phone had been blaring up since I peeled my eyes open this morning. I honestly thought it was good news. All thanks to the stunt Cynthia and I had pulled the other day, it was only normal that we anticipated a little bit of good newsNo, scratch that, a whole lot of good news. They'd started rolling in around six am, with a lot of potential investors rooting for us s d trying to get on our side once the contract was handed over to us. It was a certainty at this point because only Alora and I were the strongest contesters, but now that she was out of the picture, it automatically meant I was getting it. All I needed to do was be patient, while the council decided. Like that wasn't going to help me in any way. It paid to have one of the council members on your side, and to make his decision making a bit easier, I'd launched a new team to go online and create awarenes
130Alora's POV When I'd explained our proposed plan to Fredrick, even I had no idea what I was doing. It was just something I had come up with, and luckily for me, he went ahead with it. Whether or not it was going to work out, we were just going to have to find out whenever he got back today. As for me, since I couldn't exactly do anything else, I decided to do some snooping. What I would be snooping for or even where the hell I was going to start, I had no idea. All I knew was that I needed to find something as leverage over Eliaz and my stepsister, or else, I was going to have to kiss that contract goodbye. While it sounded relatively simple, there was still one question that hung loosely in the air. Where the hell was I going to start from? There was no way I could go back to the council, I doubt they would even give me another chance. I'd messed up all of the chances I'd been given in just a couple of days, and I wasn't sure they had any left. I also didn't want to go
131Alora's POV I didn't leave that spot till I was sure Eliaz and his little side piece, had completely checked out of their room . Everything the guard had said was true and I didn't just confirm from him alone. In order not to look suspicious,I roamed the hotel group ds for a bit, making sure to not bump into Eliaz or his woman.The main reason I'd done that, was to gather more information and evidence. It was amazing how much information you could get just by tipping people. yes, my pocket had run slightly dry today, but I like to think it was worth it. I wanted for a full fledged ten minutes before driving out of the hotel. It was way past office hours, and if the many texts and calls that had been ringing up my phone meant anything, it was the fact that Fredrick was worriedDon't worry, Fredrick. I muttered to myself. I'm coming. Well sort this out. I promise. Thankfully, I got home in record time, but I did meet Fredrick standing at the entrance of our house. “Alora.”
132Fredrick's POV I didn't want to believe it. Hell, I almost didn't believe it, but unfortunately for me I had a shit ton of photos in front of me for not to. Shit. Shit. Shit. When I'd headed out this evening, this was not how I'd expected my night to end. I'd gone to my usual hotel with Valerie, or whatever her name was, and I would be lying if i said it wasn't the best time of my life. Over the years, the key to having the best night with her had always been to switch it up once in a while. Whenever we were in the room, she was Alora, but with a little perks. On some days, she would dress up as a maid, or a stripper, anything I wanted. I would have her beg for my cock over and over again, while saying demeaning things to her. In that room she was my slut and mine alone and I got to fulfill all of the many fantasies I wanted with her. She never for once complained though. I tipped her a lot and she couldn't deny the thrill of sneaking around with the Eliaz Deutchmond. I
133Alora's POV I could feel the eyes of everyone in the office on me, and for the first time in forever, I actually liked it. Their eyes bored in my skin, and I could see so many emotions dancing in their eyes. What their mouths couldn't say, I made a quick guess of the many questions they had in their minds. What was she doing here? Wasn't she supposed to be back home with her bad husband? Was he really mad? Did she know about his condition as well, or was she shocked like everyone else? I could go on and on, but I decided not to. You didn't need to be a mind reader to be able to get a glimpse of people's mind. From their body reactions, you could already tell how they were feeling For example, Laura. She was sitting faraway from me, but with the way her fingers clasped around the papers on the desk, you could tell she was furious. A lot of the others whispered in hushed tones, while pointing fingers at me, but if there was one person who was strangely smug, it happened to
134Cynthia's POV I took a sip of the orange juice in my grip, before setting it down on the little stool by my side. Once that was done, I picked up the book I'd discarded earlier. It was a mystery thriller book that revolved round the murder of a wealthy business man and the many people involved in his death. I wasn't even done with it yet, but I could already tell who the antagonist was; his wife. While I was an avid reader of romance, I'd decided to switch it up today, why? I was simply feeling like it, and I couldn't shake off the feeling that maybe somehow, I was going to find myself in her shoes. If I didn't want to get caught, I was just going to have to be careful, and what other way to be careful than to gather hands on knowledge? A low smile grazed my lips, but it was far from warm. My eyes fluttered shut and apparently, that was the sign my mind needed to replay yesterday's events. I should have known something was wrong the moment I stepped into the conference
163 Alora's POV I had a fifty fifty stand when it came to miracles, but right now, a miracle didn't sound like a bad idea. In fact, I needed it now more than ever in my entire life.My heart hammered in my chest, as I sat rooted to my seat. Time seemed to slow to a halt, and for a moment, I found it hard to breathe. No matter how hard I tried to push out air from my nostrils, it just didn't work. In fact, the more I tried, the more I sounded like a suffocating animal. Please help me God. Neither Henry nor his minions had reacted since I spoke, and I honestly didn't know what i thought about it. I tried to think of a reason why they were yet to say anything. Was it shock? Or perhaps they hadn't even heard me and I was only panicking. That was also a possibility, right? The bar was rowdy, with the dim light bathing and giving the place little to no light. In fact, the entire interior was a sharp contrast to the bright lights that ruined the sky and the outside as a whole. Bass
162Alora's POV Life had a funny but effective way of forcing one to be humble. With everything I'd been through in this city, I honestly thought things couldn't get worse, but I guess it was my fault in the end. I should have trained myself to always expect the worst, because it always happened, it was only a matter of time, and this time, fate had reared it's ugly head again. But only, it picked the wrong time to show it's face. A tired sigh slid past my lips as I stared ahead. I'd been in this spot for over an hour now, and I would be lying to myself if I said I wasn't tired. My bones ached and I felt restless, but for some strange reason, it had nothing to do with the what I was about to do. Instead, it had everything to do with what would happened if I failed. I gulped, and my mind took that as an Invitation to recall what had happened in the last couple of days. If there was a word that could be used to describe my mood all through, then it definitely had to be shock. Sh
161Alora's POV I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I just knew I had to. Those were the words I chanted to myself as I walked into the office a couple of days later. Yesterday had made it aa week since Fredrick was arrested, a week since I'd last seen my husband, and completely seven days without being granted to see him . I'd tried my level best to go around it,o searched high and low for a loop hole that would grant me at least five minutes with him, but no matter how hard I tried, it seemrd kike luck wasn't on my side at all. Luck and the police station too. On the fifth day, I easily discovered something, the police station was being uncharacteristically stubborn and adamant, and the only thing or reason that could give them that sort of audacity, was one simple fact.They were being backed up by an even powerful force and forced to do their binding. I wouldn't even be surprised that the Saudi powerful force, was nothing less than a human being, an influential one
160Alora's POV I couldn't believe my ears, at all. I'd heard of moments when one would be so shocked, that one would be forced to think that time had somehow rolled to a halt. I'd experienced my fair share of that moment, but I never thought another occurrence could top the charts of the most shocking one. If anything, what had just happened now was something I wouldn't be forgetting in a long time, even if I died, or went into a coma. “You’re alone now, Alora.” his words echoed painfully in my ears. “Abandon Fredrick, sign over your shares to me, and we could go back to being a couple”. The words seemed to be on loop, and the more I tried to get his voice out of my head, the more they settled into my mind. As they did that, I struggled to find the motivation behind it all. Was he really that audacious for him to think that I was going to agree to his terms? Or perhaps he was delusional and was only playing a prank on me. I raised my gaze to meet his face. My eyes scanned the
159Alora's POV I was conscious, but for the life of me, I didn't even want to open my eyes. Call it embarrassment, or probably depression, I didn't care. All I knew was that I didn't want to feel like this, at all. I couldn't even remember the last time I felt this way. I'd been through hell and back, literally, from the contract being ripped from me the first time, to bring framed for something I had no idea about, to you g to jail, to dealing with Ethan and a whole lot of other troubles I didn't wabt to remember, I wasn't sure I felt the way I was feeling now, and i hated it. I let out a deep breath, before finally forcing my eyes open, and the all too familiar sight of my ceiling greeted me. I knew I should be happy, or at least feel a tiny bit of comfort, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't summon it. All that ran through my mind, were the events that led to this moment. It wasn't a lot, but it was still embarrassing. I'd passed out in the Inspector's office a
158Fredrick’s POV A small groan slid past my lips as I slowly peeled my eyes open. A dull throb spread through the back of my head, and all around me, but I didn't let it get to me. My body ached, and I felt like I was going to pass out again. My lungs burned, and even the side of my torso too. I had no idea why it hurt, but for the life of me, I couldn't even bring myself to check. More groans slid past my lips as I forced myself into a sitting position. My back came in contact with the wall behind me, and I regretted it immediately. Something slimy seeped into my clothes, and I jerked forward immediately. Even that wasn't a good choice, because the moment my hands came in contact with the floor, a burning sensation raced up my body. I scrambled to my feet, and my legs ached. I tried to walk to the other side of the room, but I just couldn't. With all the strength I could mutter, I found myself limping to a part of the tiny room I felt was clean enough. Once there, I pressed
157Alora's POV I paced around the room, my footsteps slapping loudly against the clear tiles. I hadn't expected the sound from beneath my shoes to be so loud, but in my defense, I also hadn't expected to end up here of all places too. What the hell was wrong with my life? Why was there always some evil plan lurking around in the background and waiting for the right time to rear it's ugly head? I pinched the bridge of my nose as I continued my pacing. While I did that, I didn't miss the angry glares that the other people in the room threw my way. Did I care? Not in the slightest. It was selfish of me, but if nothing was going well for me, then I honestly didn't mind ruining a couple of other people's day too. I shook my head slowly. For the past hour now, I struggled to comprehend what the hell had just happened. One minute, things were going relatively fine, if you excluded the missing funds, and the next, Fredrick was being arrested. Fucking arrested. My mind darted back t
156Alora's POV An additional week had passed since we started the real estate contract in earnest, and I knew I should be glad that things were beginning to shape up, but I just couldn't shake off the unease that lodged itself in my chest every now and then. It didn't always come when I was distracted, I only seemed to feel that way anytime I set my eyes on our two new employees, Marcus and Phineas. They'd been eagerly at work, making choices and decisions that were sometimes out of my reach, but there wasn't a lot I could say. I didn't agree with half of their thought process, but Fredrick was always ever ready to back them up. “This is the new innovation I was talking about.” He'd said. “let's just let them do their thing, I'm sure it'll come out great.” I had so many questions, but for the sake of global prace, I'd decided to shelf them, until today that is. I'd arrived at the office like any pretty normal day. Once in a while, Fredrick and I often did routine checks, to
155Alora's POV It'd been a week since we started the real estate contract in earnest, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't proud of myself. It was stressful and overwhelming, and in the past week, I could swear I'd lost count of how many times I wanted to give up. From the preparations, down to going to the site and managing the workers, everything was a lot. I'd cried to Fredrick more times than I wanted to, and at a point, i honestly deliberated giving it all up. “Do we really have to do this?” I'd said to Fredrick a couple of days back. “Is it really too late now?” “Yes.” Fredrick had let out admit a series of chuckles. “We can do this Alora. We fought so hard for this, from the very beginning too. We can't give up now. You're saying all of this because you're stressed. I'm sure once your vision starts coming to light, you'll forget all about it.” To further support his reassurance, Fredrick had taken me out to dinner. He insisted it wasn't a date, but just an avenue