Lila's POVEn route back to the house after work, I took sluggish steps as I walked across the street. I watched as cars sped by like there's no tomorrow, the wind swirling unpredictably. The few people left on the street ran to seek shelter as the first drops of rain began to fall.It was like I was seeing all of that without really seeing, because I was only staring into space. I was too broken to be affected by the activities going on around me. Even as the rain crescendoed, pouring down in torrents, I didn't stop. I kept moving with a melancholic gait. I would have worried if I currently had a phone on me, but my quirky phone won't come on for days, so I saw no need to take it along with me to work this morning. As though the rain carried the power to wash all my sorrows away, I let myself get drenched by the downpour, each raindrop on my skin a painful reminder of the harsh words my boss hurled at me today. “You're always absent minded at work,” Greg roared, his eyes blazing
Lila's POV The whole apartment was filled with so much smoke that I could barely see. “Mother? Elena?” I called out in a trembling tone, but no response was heard.I don't want to believe what is running through my mind with the sight before me“Where are you mother?” I cried as I struggled to fight my way through the room.The house only responded back in a heartbreaking silence.I haven't seen mum or Elena as the smoke continued to threaten my vision. But I desperately manoeuvred through the smoke-filled room, down to the kitchen which happened to be the source of the whole smoke. The food in the pot was completely burned down, and the pot damaged.I managed to turn off the cooker that had caused the mayhem, thankful that the house wasn't on fire just yet. I dashed back to the living room when I heard my mum break into a fit of cough. “Li...la.,” she drawled weakly.“I'm here mum,” I responded, tracing her sound and rushing toward her, only to see that she had fallen off her whe
Lila's POV“Lila,” I felt someone tap me softly but I stirred on the bed, adjusting my sleep position to continue to enjoy my sleep.“Lila,” the voice came again with another tap and my eyes fluttered open to see mother. She just woke up too and I'm happy to see her looking better.But I'm surprised that she isn't smiling back at me. I was about to question her when she stopped me. “Lila, you're late for work”A gasp escaped my lips as realisation dawned on me when my eyes darted to the wall clock. “Oh my God!”I have to resume work in the next 25 minutes if I don't want to be made redundant. It looks so impossible to get ready and be at work in that little time frame. Just then, we heard a knock. That must be Elena. I scrambled out of bed to get the door and it turned out that Elena had been knocking at the door for a while. I quickly dashed to the bathroom to get ready.En route to work, I couldn't help but think about how mum scared the hell out of me last night. I feared that so
Damian's POVI reclined in my seat, tapping the table gently with my pen in a rhythmic sequence while I waited for my personal computer to boot successfully. Suddenly, there was a knock on my door and I looked up, remembering that I sent my secretary, who is also my Personal assistant, to get me some files. “Yes, come in,” I echoed. The door creaked open to reveal Valerie in her usual smart dress as she strode towards me with a warm smile. Most of my staff barely look up to my face until I ask them to, and I enjoy the feeling I get from their absolute submission to me. Being my personal assistant, and a competent one at that, I'm a tad lenient with Valerie compared to others. I hate clumsy people. Only people who are smart and consummate like her can work well with me. Even though I won't tolerate any overfamiliarity, I allow her to be a bit free with me at work. Now that I watched her stride towards me with that graceful smile again, it seemed to me as though there's something
Damian's POV A cruel laughter preceded the sound of the menacing footsteps that were approaching the entrance of our hideout. A laughter that carried a mix of confidence and evil.The voice finally gained a face as the assailant came into view, and I quickly shoved the waitress behind me in order to protect her. “Well, well, well, look what I found here. My pretty prey has company now, or should I say hero?” he let out another chuckle. The building is not well lit, but we could still manage to see each other's form faintly in the dark. “Stop hiding behind him, little prey. Step aside now!” He commanded, threatening with the knife pointed towards us. When the waitress quietly obeyed, he momentarily focused his attention on her. “We were supposed to make this very easy. You give me all the money on you and I let you go. But you decided to make it complicated by stressing me to chase you down here. Now you'll have to pay double with your money and your body.”“Please don't do this
Damian's POV I knew it. I knew that guy was a maniac. Despite the pain he's going through as he cannot even manage to lift his leg from the nail that went deep into his feet yet, he still managed to snatch the knife from her.He is now attempting to cut her with the knife he's holding with one hand while he holds her leg with his other hand. She was lucky I reached there just in time as my shoe landed heavily on his face and he let out another loud yelp, releasing his grip on her before crushing to the ground. I was approaching the final exit of the abandoned building when suddenly, the waitress ran past me. “What was that for?” I asked. “I thought you wanted to babysit him some moments ago.”‘Oh please! I've learnt my lesson. Don't throw it in my face,” she gawked at me whilst still panting from the run. “Thank you for saving me,” she said, her genuineness leaking into her voice. I simply nodded and I watched her turn to leave.“How would you get a cab by this time of the ni
Lila's POVI hurried out of the apartment, my feet trembling slightly from embarrassment. How could I be so careless?I'm not oblivious of my sleeping habit of shifting all over my bed sometimes, yet when he offered me his couch to sleep on, I didn't take it. I stubbornly went ahead to sleep on the same bed with him.I wonder what even gave me such confidence. Well, maybe he gained my trust a little because he helped me save my job, as well as my life in one day.This sleeping habit of mine doesn't come into play every night from what I've heard, but why will it choose the previous night of all nights to embarrass me? I still find it surprising that I could sleep on the same bed with some stranger. I knew I had no other choice than to follow him to his apartment. He looks like one who could be trusted, but I still told myself that I had to be careful around him. The need to stay on guard prompted me to divide the bed with pillows for a start. As soon as I heard that the shower had
Lila's POV After what felt like a lifetime, I finally got home. I couldn't contain my joy, seeing that mum is looking better now. She had been taking her medications well. I couldn't even bring myself to tell her about the things that that stranger said when I was enroute to the house. I just concealed everything because I didn't want to spoil her good mood. Even though her leg gives her pain and she can't walk until she gets her surgery done, she wears a smile almost all the time. A smile that attempts to hide her pain sometimes because she never wants me to get worried about her. But I see through the pain she tries to hide from me. While I can only afford her medications with the work I do for now, I'm still trying to figure out how I'll get the money she needs for her surgery. “Are you okay, Lila?” mum asked me. She must have noticed that I was a tad absent minded.“Oh, sure mum,” I replied with a bright smile. “I'm just happy to see that you are feeling better, compared to
Lila's POV Damian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Honestly? I don't have a plan yet. I’m still trying to figure it out. This isn’t exactly a simple situation, Lila.”He shifted in his seat, turning to face me fully, his blue eyes locking onto mine. “But we’re in this together now. Whatever we decide, we do it as a team.”The sincerity in his voice gave me pause. But being sincere or not, I don't want to be that simple girl who trusts easily anymore. I left an iota of doubt. Maybe, just maybe, we could pull this off.As we brainstormed, tossing ideas back and forth, Damian suddenly sat up straighter, his eyes lighting up with inspiration. “Wait. What about the Monroe estate?” he said, his voice tinged with excitement.“What about it?” I asked, curiosity piqued.“The other day, you mentioned finding an old journal in your parents’ room,” he said, leaning closer. “What if there’s something else there? A document, a ledger—anything that could give us leverage?”I blinked at him,
Lila's POVThe weight of the day bore down on me as I slumped onto my couch, kicking off my shoes with a sigh that seemed to come from the depths of my soul. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, willing myself to think of nothing for just a moment. The chaos of the boardroom, Damian’s betrayal, and the suffocating despair of my family’s situation all swirled together in a storm of emotions I couldn’t control.Yet, even amid the mess, one small sliver of joy flickered in my heart. My family was alive. I might not be able to hold them right now, but knowing they were still breathing gave me a glimmer of hope.As I sat there, trying to sort through the rubble of my day, a knock echoed from the door. I froze, my mind racing. I wasn’t expecting anyone. For a brief second, fear crept into my heart, and I wondered if the anonymous caller had come to make good on his threats. But then, I heard his voice.“Lila, it’s me. Please, open the door.”Damian.I clenched my jaw and stared at t
Lila's POV Tears blurred my vision. “Henry!” I called, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’m here, baby. I’ll get you all out of there. I promise.”Before I could say more, the phone was yanked away. The anonymous man’s distorted voice returned, cold and detached. “That’s enough.”“Wait—” I pleaded, but the video feed disappeared, replaced by audio again.“You’ve seen them,” he said. “Now wire the money. Remember, no police, no friends, no one. If you do as you’re told for sometime, they’ll remain unharmed, and I’ll release them soon.”My hands tightened into fists, but I forced myself to remain calm. “Fine,” I said, my voice trembling. “I’ll do it. Just don’t hurt them.”The line went silent for a moment before he spoke again, his tone almost mocking. “You have my word…as long as you comply.”When the call ended, I sat still for a moment, staring at the phone in my hand. Relief washed over me in waves—I had seen them. They were alive. But the sorrow of their captivity was like a weig
Lila's POVI woke up with a fire in my chest that morning. A fire of determination that I hadn't felt in days. It was as though the night had given me a second wind, and I decided that no matter what, today would be better. It had to be.Sliding out of bed, I went through my morning routine with a sense of purpose. My reflection in the mirror seemed to echo my resolve, though the shadows of yesterday’s troubles still lingered faintly in my eyes.“I’ll fix it,” I whispered to myself as I smoothed down my blouse. “I’ll fix everything.”With a quick glance at the clock, I realized I needed to hurry. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder, mentally rehearsing the things I planned to say to Nicholas and the board. Today, I wouldn’t let them walk all over me.Just as I reached for my car keys, my phone buzzed. Pausing mid-motion, I fished it out of my bag and glanced at the screen. Unknown Number.I frowned. It wasn’t often I got calls from numbers I didn’t recognize, but something
Damian's POV I stared at the elevator doors as they slid shut behind Lila, taking her away from me in more ways than one. My feet remained planted on the marble floor, even though every instinct screamed at me to go after her."Damian," my father’s voice had broken through my turmoil, his hand landing firmly on my shoulder. The weight of it had anchored me to the spot.I glanced at him, and the look in his eyes spoke volumes—let her go. Be the man I raised you to be. The stern, unflinching Damian who gets things done without hesitation. But the thought of letting Lila go felt like being ripped in half.Still, I remained silent. My chest tightened, but I nodded subtly, turning my gaze away. He didn’t need to say more.My pocket buzzed, disrupting the heavy moment between us. I sighed, already dreading who it could be. Pulling out my phone, my suspicion was confirmed: Valerie.The endless calls, the manipulations, the threats—all under the guise of her pregnancy. She was relentless,
Lila's POVI sank to the floor, frantically sifting through the scattered documents, willing the missing file to appear. But it didn’t. It was gone.The reality of the situation hit me like a freight train. My proof—my only claim to Monroe Corporation—was missing.I forced myself to my feet, my legs shaky and unsteady, and stumbled back to the conference room. The air felt heavy as I re-entered, and every eye turned to me expectantly. I felt naked under their scrutiny, my failure laid bare for all to see.Nicholas leaned casually against the head of the table, his smug grin growing wider when he saw the empty look on my face. “Well?” he asked, his voice dripping with mockery. “Where is this proof you spoke so highly of?”I swallowed hard, willing my voice not to crack. “I… I can’t find it.”His laughter rang out, loud and full of condescension, reverberating in the silence of the room. “You can’t find it?” he repeated, shaking his head. “How convenient. It seems the current CEO is n
Lila's POVThe low hum of murmurs filled the conference room as everyone processed the shock of Damian and his father stepping out. My mind was a swirling mess of questions with no clear answers. Who exactly was Nicholas Cole? Why had his sudden reappearance left so many people rattled? My fingers toyed nervously with the edge of my notepad as I leaned back in my chair, trying to make sense of the fragments of conversations filtering through the room.“...after the original founders, he was the most powerful figure…”“…would’ve been our permanent leader…”“…the man’s legacy before he supposedly died…”The pieces were falling into place, and the weight of them was suffocating. Nicholas Cole wasn’t just anyone. He was a legend in Monroe Corporation, the man who was poised to become its unshakable leader before his sudden “death” altered the course of its history. His absence had ushered in the era of rotating CEOs—a chaotic tradition that ended when I claimed my inheritance and stepp
Damian's POVI hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, letting my Dad pull me into a hug. His embrace was strong, steady, and for the first time after such a long time, I felt a flicker of the connection we’d once shared.“I forgive you,” I murmured, my voice thick with emotion.As we pulled apart from the hug, a faint smile lingered on my father’s face. For a moment, the tension between us seemed to dissipate. Then, he straightened his posture, the air of a seasoned businessman returning to him.“Before I went into hiding,” he began, his voice carrying the weight of authority I remembered very well now, “I was Monroe Corporation’s biggest shareholder.”I raised an eyebrow, unsure of where he was going with this. “You never told me that.”He chuckled, a low sound that hinted at pride. “I had to keep some secrets, didn’t I? Even during my time away, I maintained my shares through… let’s just say, unconventional means.”His smirk carried the same self-assuredness I’d often tried t
Damain's POVThe conference room buzzed with a stunned silence, the gasps gradually fading as the man who had stolen everyone’s attention—Nicholas Cole, my father—stepped further inside. His presence alone seemed to shift the atmosphere, commanding attention in a way that only someone with a long-forgotten legacy could.He cleared his throat, his voice deep and steady, the kind that carried authority. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “I—”But before he could finish his introduction, the boiling rage inside me reached its peak. I shot to my feet, my chair scraping loudly against the polished floor. My sudden movement startled everyone, their wide-eyed gazes now fixed on me.Without a word, I turned on my heel and stormed out of the room.A cacophony of murmurs erupted behind me, but I didn’t care. My strides were purposeful, my thoughts a whirlwind of anger and betrayal. A small part of me acknowledged the strange relief I felt in seeing him alive—after all these years, thinking he