Having upset Claire to the point of leaving wasn’t my goal. I had told her about the contract bidding because I had received a notice that my business was being investigated by the Better Business Bureau for claims of misconduct with contractual agreements. They would be coming back for every dollar I pulled unjustly from those contracts and paying them would be the only way to save my company. I had tried putting up my own blueprints but no one was interested in working with me and I got desperate. I submitted Claire’s under my company name and I saw bidders lining up for the opportunity to obtain them. It was astonishing. And I wanted to do this with Claire. With that amount of money, my business would flourish and we could finally be together - I could take care of her.I didn’t expect her ex-husband to ruin my plans or for Claire to run off with the her documents. I tried calling her to no avail. She wouldn’t take my call and I was becoming angry. And just when I thought my anger
I had been in my bed when I heard Leo running down the stairs and had thought he was coming to check on my “recovery”. That was until I heard him yell out to Elena that Claire was in trouble. Even with that wretched peasant gone, he still worried about her.I quietly ran upstairs to Leo’s office alone the coast was clear and begin searching for clues to help me rid of Claire. To my dismay, mostly all of his documents had already been locked away. Elena was diligent in cleaning up Leo’s affairs. All except for one - his decree of divorce. It was placed perfectly in the middle of his desk as if it was left for me to see.I frantically open it and begin reading the addendums. Leo had left her a studio to conduct business. A honorable thing to do for a useless ex- housewife. I read the address and decide to save the information in my phone for later. Knowing where Claire would be - put me at a much higher advantage in my plans. I continue reading through the pages until I find something
It’s been a few weeks since I last saw Jordan and broke our professional and personal relationship. It has also been a few weeks since I’ve seen Leo. He had dropped me off at Jasmine’s and ensured that I got inside safely. I have texted Leo vaguely about a few potential contractors interested in my work and I’ve been working diligently on my independent business and locking myself in my suite which was provided graciously by Leo upon our divorce.I entered a few design blueprints into the Architectural committee - an elite political status group that would launch my career to immediate success. I had just sat down to review more potential contracts on my tablet and I see an email from the Architectural Committee. I feel my heart sink to my stomach and feel the immediate rejection rising. I slowly click the email with a shaky finger but am surprised by the contents.I had made the cut and was being nominated for the ‘Best New Designer of the Year’. Being nominated alone means my career
I ran at the sound of Claire’s ringtone on my phone and hurry to pick it up.I’m relieved to hear Claire is safe and calm on the other line. I worried about her safety after what happened to our child and what Jordan had tried to do to her. I was still have my private investigator look into the “incident” that caused the demise of my son. I neglected to share that with Claire. I knew that my mentioning of it would drive her into depression. She was keeping busy to avoid mourning her loss.Claire tells me that she was nominated for one of the biggest achievements as an architect and I can’t help but beam with pride. Claire was brilliant. I offer to escort her in an effort to spend some time with her and celebrate her success and to my surprise, she agreed.It may seem like the smallest of steps but for me - this was a leap and I was glad to have it.I order Elena to assist me in picking out a dress for Claire’s big night and we head to a few boutiques. I announced to Charlotte that I h
I sat at home as Leo left. It was odd for him to not tell me where he was going but I assumed it had something to do with that wretched Claire. Just as I am about to leave my bed and snoop, I get a phone call from an unknown number. I answer it, catching my breath as I hear the contents. ‘This is a collect call from an inmate here at our federal jail center. Please press 5 to accept this call.’ I press 5 hastily trying to see who would be contacting me from prison. “Darling, how are you?” I hear my fathers’ voice on the other line. “Daddy? What happened? Why are you in jail?” I sit in shock as I listen to his next few words. “I made some bad choices with the family business and I’m be charged with money laundering, embezzlement and tax evasion. Darling, I wanted you to hear this from me. I’m ashamed of myself.” “We’ll find a way to get you out, daddy. I’ll call Leo.” “Darling, I’m counting on you to help me. I need a good lawyer.” I hear him say just as the line cuts o
After a successful day of work, I head back home to Jasmine’s, excited to get ready for my very first nomination tonight. The cab ride went by quickly. I go inside to find Jasmine smiling at me from the kitchen.“Leo told me the news! Congratulations, babes!” She comes from the kitchen wide open arms. A Jas hug adorned with a smile was just what the doctor ordered. I extend my arms and laugh slightly as we hug.“Thank you! I didn’t think this would ever happen for me and it wouldn’t have, if I didn’t have your help.”“That was all you!” Jas says as she pulls back.“Yeah but if you didn’t let me stay here - I would’ve never been able to focus on work or even start working in my field.” It was true. Had Jas not invited me to stay with her, I would’ve never been able to have focused on making use of my career. A token of my success was owed to her support.“Nonsense! But someone did leave a surprise for you on your bed and I’m sure you need to start getting ready.” She smiles as I look c
I watch as Leo slowly undoes the wax seal on the envelope in front of a waiting audience and smiles as he reads the card.“Today’s ’New Best Designer of the Year’ award goes to none other than Claire!” He looks directly at me with a smile. I hear applause growing around me and see everyone has turned to me. I make my way to the stage and am handed a medal along with a plaque showcasing my name. I smile as I begin my acceptance speech.“Thank you to all of you here tonight for this nomination! I am forever grateful for the acknowledgement you’ve given me. I never thought this would be possible for me and I’d like to thank a few special people in my life as well. Leo, you believed in me and you’ve supported me throughout the resurface of my career and I’m thankful for you. And secondly, I’d like to thank my friend Jasmine for her endless support and healing hugs. I’m extremely grateful to you all tonight.” I stand back and turn to leave and watch as Leo continues to announce - smiling s
I watch from around the corner as Elena watches the television in the living room outside my bedroom. What useless help she is. But then I see exactly what she is looking at. Leonardo is announcing the Architectural Success Event and to my surprise - Claire is also there. I tip-toe back to my room to make a call to Leo’s mother. Certainly, she wouldn’t approve of this and she would have no issue in vocalizing her disdain of Claire. That would help Leo see his way back to me.“Hello Mother!” I play kindly as I hear her pick up.“Hello Charlotte, what a late hour to be receiving your call?” She says politely.“I’m sorry for my absence but I wanted to know if you saw Leo on television today?” “I did. He did a fine job announcing the nominees and the winners of each award.” She knew? She saw Claire attend the event and said nothing?“Did you know Claire was there?” I ask quickly as I felt left out of the equation.“I did. She’s been awarded a marvelous reward.” She says without a hint of
I think back to my first encounter with Charlotte. She had expressed her feelings about Leo right before the incident with her wheelchair and she had made it clear that there was no competition between her and myself. She claimed to be the only woman Leo had time for and at that time, it seemed true. I remember the feeling of hearing that he was asleep in her bed. He hadn’t admitted that to me but part of me believed it. He stopped at nothing to be by her side - once upon a time. He had even shoved me in rage of what happened on our anniversary. Looking back, I do feel as though that incident could’ve been staged. I examined her wheel being stuck and found nothing wrong, I was shoved right before she descended down the hill and met with cowering once she saw Leo approaching. Charlotte wasn’t as innocent as she portrayed herself to be and it was evident that she didn’t particularly like my company or existence for that matter. But Charlotte wasn’t aware of my pregnancy, or so I’d lik
It had been a couple days since I’ve seen Claire and Leo. Being here in jail has given me time to reflect on so many things and I feel awful for Starla, who waiting for me at home but even worse, I feel horrible for Claire. When you have nothing but time, you start to think about what you’ve done and what you could’ve done better. I could’ve been a better brother, I could’ve behaved and treated her better and I was ashamed.I decide to call Claire to express my gratitude to her and apologize for my shortcomings.I wait a few seconds and hear Claire accept the call.“Hello?” I say excitedly.“Are you okay, Matthew?” She was worried for me.“Yeah. Well, Kind of. I’m still in jail but I have faith. How are you?” I genuinely wanted to know that she was okay and doing better than I was.“Well, I’m in the hospital but I’m okay.” She quickly adds reassurance. That was classic for Claire. She’d diminish the importance of her own words to make anyone feel comfortable and I knew by that, alone
Francisco had planned for a surprise to arrive at my house. In all honesty, I had hoped that it would be Claire’s dismantled body, but I was unpleasantly surprised by the man who stood on my doorstep as Francisco answered the door. The first thing I notice is his suit. A black Italian brioni suit, one of Leo’s favorite brands. I had accompanied him shopping when he had bought his first one. He had just entered a contract worth millions and became the youngest multimillionaire on the west coast. I remember his smile as he purchased the suit. A moment of pride and a mark of success. I also remember the diamond tennis bracelet he gifted me that day - a tribute to my loyalty to him. The simplest of times where he and I were genuinely happy and together. It wasn’t long until it became nothing but a distant memory. My father and his plots made sure of it.“Charlotte?” I must’ve zoned out as Francisco is standing in front of me with a look of confusion.“Who is this?” I ask abruptly. My anno
Claire called me to share the details of each attack. She found that she was able to remember more and I was proud of her.After finishing our conversation, I turn to Mason in the back of my town car.“We have a problem.”“Is everything alright with your wife?” “Yes. She tried to visually take herself through both attacks and was able to remember a few things.” I see his face become even more stern as he waits for me to share Claire’s discoveries.“The first guy was waiting nearby for a cue. Someone close had to give him that cue for him to pose as the driver and kidnap Claire. She said he couldn’t have been there the whole time because I would’ve seen him. Which is true considering I usually speak with my driver privately through the front door window. The second attacker is a bit more serious. She said he wore a black Italian brioni suit. She recognized it because that’s the brand of my favorite suit. The other thing she noticed was that when he was leaving her suite, he had a blac
While Leo was away, I tried to piece everything together. Elena had made sure I ate, assisted me in cleaning myself up and sat down with me as I closed my eyes and tried to remember any information that might be useful in finding my attackers. Elena held my hands as I try to visually take myself back to that day.I had gone to the elevator in a haste, there was no one in the lobby and the elevator didn’t seem to be tampered with, the hallways from the elevator to my suite was empty and quiet as usual and the door to my suite looked completely fine. It wasn’t until I was inside that he had made his presence known. He must’ve been posing as a potential client and was able to slip by the other occupants of the building that way. He would’ve been suspicious if he hadn’t been wearing a nice suit.I keep trying to find anything that may have seemed off but nothing was tampered with or at least to the point where I would notice. I change my focus to the man and hold my breath as I jog throug
I must’ve dozed off when comforting Claire because I’m still in her hospital bed when I awake. I decide to make use of this quiet time and text Elena. I request that she make some food for Claire and I and that she ready herself to be dropped off here. I can feel the excitement as she responds with breakfast options and asks if Claire would like anything else. I then text my driver, letting him know that I would like Elena to be dropped off here at the hospital. I then send a message to Mason and ask to speak with him in person today. If I wanted to protect Claire, we needed to pick up our pace and find out who did this to Matthew and her. I set a time where I can have Elena here to comfort and watch over Claire so that I could put more of my efforts into finding her attackers and freeing her brother.I drop my phone onto the bed and continue to cuddle Claire as she sleeps. Every so often, I find myself passing a glance at her hand. The doctor planned to remove the bandages after for
After Emilia’s stunt and my mother’s audacity, I was emotionally drained. How dare they ask that I abandon Claire and continue to overlook their distaste in her? I had overlooked it in the past because I knew they held a special space for Charlotte but I see now, how wrong I’ve been. They didn’t love Charlotte. She was just a status that paired well with my success. A purebred paired with another purebred, but they didn’t know the truth. Or maybe, my truth just wasn’t important to them.I wasn’t happy with Charlotte. She was beautiful and cunning but I didn’t love her in the way she loved me and I had planned on ending things with her prior to her accident. Charlotte had no ambition in our relationship and had become clingy, expecting me stay by her side and abandon my responsibilities. I had lost interest in her - the same way I’d lost interest in them all until Claire came along.Claire was different. She’s beautiful was ambitious, innocent, kind and caring. She would make sure I’d
I wake up a few hours later with a dull pain my hand. The morphine had helped but I could still feel the aftermath of today’s events. According to the clock on the wall, I had slept for eight hours. I look over to find Leo sleeping on the couch beside my bed and two duffel bags on the chair. Not only has he decided to stay but he had brought things for us as we would be staying here for a few days as they reexamined my hand to ensure the proper healing took place.I use the call button to request a nurse as I had to use the restroom and see Leo jump up immediately as the nurse responds over the speaker. I hear him as he notifies the nurse that I’m fine.“What do you need? I’ll help.” He was adamant on helping.“I just have to use the restroom.” I whisper softly.“It’s okay. I’ll help you.”“But you were sleeping? It’s okay. I can just ask the nurse.” “No, I was just waiting for you to wake up. Come on, I’ll help you.” He extends a hand and gives a soft smile. I knew refusing would on
I exit Claire’s hospital room on a mission. I call Mason first to recount Claire’s story of today’s attack.“Officer Mason.” I hear him speak clearly.“It’s Leo. I asked Claire what happened. She said the man was already in her suite when she arrived. He was dressed in a suit with his black hair combed back and he had green eyes. He was sitting at her desk. He said ‘boss’ orders’ when he attacked her with the trophy.” I make sure to leave no details unsaid. This was crucial to catching who did this to my wife.“Okay, I thought the trophy may have been the assault weapon so u had sentTo the lab for DNA testing. I’ll have my guys search for DNA forensics. I have some news on Matthew’s case as well, if you’re up to hear it.” Truth be told, I had forgotten about Matthew these last few days. “Any news is good news, I suppose.” I reply.“Well we checked the stamps, bags and origin of those drugs and our hunch was right. They came from a mafia group we’ve been following for years. If we ca