Chapter 3
*Settle Your Debt*
Vanessa's POV:
"That's ridiculous! I don't have that kind of money!"
"Well, then I guess you'll have to find a way to get it, won't you?" he smirked.
I felt a surge of anger rise within me. This guy was impossible. Not only did he get me fired from my job, but now he was demanding an outrageous amount of money from me. I couldn't let him get away with this.
"I'm not paying you a dime," I said defiantly. "You can take your demands and shove them up your ass."
He looked taken aback for a moment, clearly not expecting such a response. But then his expression hardened and he grabbed my arm again, this time with even more force and I struggled to break free.
"You bitch, I said you're paying, and you will. I will make you."
"I already to you I won't give you a dime, quite stressing, I lost my pay check because of you." I accused him.
"You're giving me the $50,000 and I want it settled from now till the next two months, everything."
Andre POV:
"$50,000!!! I can't even earn that much in ten years!" She paused for a moment, squinting her eyebrows, "Your car and ring cannot cost this much!" She yelled at me, stomping her foot frustratingly like a spoilt child, she is such a stupid girl.
My yellow Ferrari costs at least $400,000 and the maintenance was more, I have no idea how she aimed the glass so well.
"Do you know how much my car is worth?"
"This scrap car is no more than $10,000 and I wouldn't give you a dime, I never asked you to be blind."
"My ring costed more than that, ugly. And yes, you're paying for the windscreen and my ring, get ready for a lawsuit, mad woman."
"You cannot threaten me, I lost my job because of you and your bad luck made me lose my paycheck, all in one day, Why did you propose to me in the first place? Did like look a chew toy to you? What do you see me as?"
"You're a cheap bitch who thought she was going to get rich overnight after getting a false proposal from a billionaire."
"What do you take yourself for, c'mon, you're not that beautiful that I should fall in love with you at first sight, to be honest, there's nothing that attracts me to you. Did you look in the mirror before coming out this morning? Poor people will always be stupid." Noticing how calculative she was becoming, I held her hand firmly so she wouldn't try to escape, not without paying for the damage.
"You're not leaving here unless you settle your debt. You'll pay for my car's windscreen and then my ring which you sold, I don't believe you threw it away you shrewd woman."
"Kill me then, I have nothing to give you." She was right, she was worthless but I wouldn't let her off so easily, I looked for the smallest thing I could take from her, her bag. Perhaps there must be something that she values in there.
I forced her bag from her, pouring everything inside on the floor, scattering through them until I found her already bashed phone. It was the only useful thing here, the rest were a bunch of junk.
"Give me back my phone!" She yelled.
"No. You owe me a fortune."
She held my collar, squeezing my beige Dolce and Gabbana long-sleeve shirt. She had ruined the first one with water, I wouldn't let her do the same to this one, I peeled her fingers off my shirt, pushing her away. "Don't freakin' touch me."
I went inside my car, brought out my business card, and pushed it into her fingers, "When you're levelheaded, come to me, and then we'll talk." With that, I entered my car and drove off annoyingly.
On the way home, Ethan, my closest friend who was with me at the restaurant called my phone, at first I didn't want to pick up since I was still furious and after some hesitation, I decided to answer the phone.
"What's up bro," he said to receive no reply from me.
"I think I left something at the back of your car, where are you, I want to collect it or my girlfriend will strangle me."
"You don't want to know what happened to me today, Ethan. We'll talk later, I'm hanging up first." I said and hung up quickly. He called again and I did not bother to pick up. He didn't look like he was going to give up because he kept on calling knowing how pissed off I would be after receiving many missed calls.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I told you I left my stuff in your car. What happened to you?"
"That shrewd girl. She damaged my car!"
"What girl?" He asked.
I quickly sent him pictures of the car which I had taken earlier on to send to the insurance company, and then asked him to check his SMS. After seeing the damage she caused me, he didn't waste time calling back.
"What the??? Who did this?"
"It was that bitch from earlier, from Taylor's kitchen, she broke the glass with a stone."
"She must be fierce to go after you with a stone. I told you to not take the bet earlier on, didn't I? Who's going to pay for the damage? She doesn't look like she has that much to pay, we're talking about your Ferrari here, that car you wouldn't even let me use."
"I lost taste in it now. I know she can't afford that much to pay for the damage. I will make her life miserable so she knows not to cross me, EVER!" I sighed deeply, "I'm going home, we'll talk later." That was all I said before ending the call.
I hit on the horn continuously until the security guard opened the gate. Seeing the state my car was in, he must have been shocked, his mouth was opened in awe as I drove past him at speed. I dropped the car in front of the entrance to the mansion, signaling the driver to take it to the garage before going inside.
The first person to greet me was my assistant, Stanley, "Welcome back sir, did the lunch go well with the madam?"
I stopped in my movement, turning to him, "How can you ask me that question when you see what state I'm in? How does my shirt look?"
He didn't say anything, just gulped downloads of saliva. That wretch squeezed and ruffled my collar because of her worthless, cheap phone. No one has ever treated me the way she did today, no one. She would pay dearly for it. I remembered her phone was still in my car, "Stanley, go to my car, bring the phone in the pigeonhole box to me." I ordered and he left.
I went up to my room, straight to the huge mirror hanging on the wall. I looked like a mess after quarreling with a woman. My face had faint traces of fingerprints. After dealing with that female monster, I would never be in the same as paupers ever again.
Someone opened the door, it was my younger sister, Louisa.
"Where have you been?" Louisa asked.
"I went out,"
"Did you go to meet Taylor?" She asked.
"I did,"
"So, what happened to your car? You look like you got into an accident. I told you that woman was bad luck, a woman who would abandon her children just because of her selfishness doesn't mean anything good for us, right?"
"You are right, Louisa, I got humiliated today, got slapped twice, then my car and I also lost my ring. So much drama has happened all in one day making me feel as if I was cursed. Maybe, I should go to church this weekend." I sighed.
"Who bashed your car? Didn't you cut off their hands? It's your favorite car, Brother." She said.
"A female thug, someone who has more bad luck than Taylor. I plan to deal with her."
"Did she know how much your car cost before doing that? She must be very dumb then."
"She's about to find out," I said, my eyes dimmed, staring at nowhere in particular while my thoughts ran to possible methods I will use to punish that dumb girl.
"Andre, Father wants to see you. He asked me to call you,"
"Ok. I will see him after taking a shower."
"Make sure to scrub properly, you stink, did you say she laid her hands on you?" She held her nose with the tip of her fingers, "That's where the smell is coming from."
"Fuck off."
"I don't plan on staying longer, not with that smell." She said, sticking her tongue out and then walked out of the room quickly before I could get a hold of her.
After taking time to scrub myself clean and then applying ointment on my cheek, I went ahead to meet my father.
"Dad," I called the moment I entered his study.
"Welcome back home son, how did it go?" He inquired.
"I regret going to meet her, I should have just stuck to your words. We don't need that woman in our lives, I and Louisa are have grown well under your wings. She must be so lonely that she had to remember about her children."
"Now, you would always listen to your father." He chuckled. He reached out his hands to the desk, picked up some documents, and handed them to me. "Take a look." He said.
The first document was land deeds, did he buy a new property?
"I did," he replied just like he had read my mind. "I heard from the realtor that the land was in a good spot and it would be in high demand in the next few years, so why not get a huge chunk from it?" As I scrolled the pages of the documents, he continued, "Five acres for you as my first and only son, and then two for Louisa. She is a woman and will leave soon to her husband."
"What about Mother and Leila?"
"I plan to get them separate properties even though I don't think they need it for now, I have you to take care the both of them for me." He chuckled.
"It's been 20 years, you should get used to your stepmother. She may not be your real mother but she loves you and Louisa just as she loves your little sister, Leila. One day, you'd be the one to take over all the responsibilities as the man of the home and then you'll have to care for your family in my absence." He said.
"That's for that, look at the rest documents." He urged me. I read each one turn after turn. Some of them needed mg signature on them and then there was the last. The former minister of youth and affairs was inviting me to an opening ceremony for his new five-star hotel. My face cringed at the thought of why he addressed his letter to me personally even though he had been my father's acquaintance for years.
"Dad, did the former minister send separate invitations to the rest of you?" I asked. He smiled back, "You're a smart boy you know. You caught unto it quickly. Minister Gregory wants our family to have a better relationship other than friendship." Just as he was about to continue, his wife came in, accompanied by one of the servants carrying multiple shopping bags, I assumed she went shopping, that was the only thing she spent all the money Father gave her on.
She walked to where her husband was seated and kissed him on the side, "Honey, I'm back from shopping, you would love what I got today." She said.
"Elizabeth, we can look at those later, right now, we're talking about something important."
"Oh, you're talking to him about Mr. Gregory's offer?"
She asked her husband. By merely seeing her face I got pissed off. Anytime I spared her a glance, I try to make sure she doesn't forget how much dislike I had for her, and I knew she never liked me one bit. Ever since I was little, she would always complain that I was the hardest to tame like I and my sister were dogs.
"Honey, you know he has no choice. Even if they want him to get married to their daughter today without them having a formal meeting, we will make that happen. Andre has to do it for the family's benefit." She added.
"If you want a strong relationship with those people, you can marry Louisa off, or better still, marry your high schooler off. Last time I remembered, the minister had a son of my age who is still unmarried."
"Don't say that, that family is all we need to access a higher level of not only businessmen but political bodies. Do you know how the former minister earned so many contracts awarded to him? It's because of his connections in politics. We also need that to keep our business on top. There's so much competition these days." My father clicked his tongue.
"We need to own the upper hand, which is why we have a son." My stepmother added.
Chapter 4Andre POV:Who's getting married?!" My sister's excited voice broke through the quiet of the room, startling everyone. I hadn't heard her come in.She must have greeted our Father before now because She hurried to where our stepmother was sitting, and wrapped her in a hug. "Mother, you're back from shopping?" My sister asked, a smile on her face, and then turned to me and my father, "You guys finally found a match for Andre? That's great! What's her last name?" Was the first thing my sister was concerned with. She was like everyone else in my family who only cared about the status of the people we should be associated with."We fixed your marriage, Louisa." I taunted."You're lying, I heard Father talk about your marriage, and by the way, you're the one old enough to get married here, you're thirty, remember? And I'm just twenty-four, why will I get married before you?" She reasoned."I don't mind, Louisa," I turned to my father, "Dad, we should get Louisa married soon, do
Vanessa's POV:My days started pretty early with my brother, Victor, waking me from my sleep. "Vanessa, aren't you going to work today?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern. I rubbed my eyes and tried to shake off the remnants of sleep. He was wearing an apron and I could perceive burnt food in the air. Did he cook? I asked myself and wondered why he went to the kitchen again as I remembered, he was an awful cook.Seeing his stern look, I realized that he asked a question earlier. "Work? I lost-" My tongue slipped, almost revealing my secret. Panic surged through me, and I quickly recovered, "I mean, I'm on off."Victor raised an eyebrow, giving me a suspicious look. "You lost what?""N-nothing," I stammered, my heart racing. "I mean, I didn't say lost. I said I'm on off." I corrected.He stared at me for a moment longer before letting out a sigh. "You're getting so many days off recently. Did you do something wrong?"I swallowed hard, my mind racing to come up with a plausible ex
Chapter 6Andre's POV:The harsh knock on the door woke me up, only to find out that it was 11 am and I was late for work."Shit," I mumbled. My head was still swiveling from the event of last night. I soothed it with my fingers to relieve the pain. I looked down at myself, I was nude with all my clothes off, and all over the place. How and when did I take them off? I had no idea.It took enough effort to get up from the floor and the first thing I did was to put on fresh clothes before coming back to the mess. I made sure to stay clear of the broken bottles. There was a repeated knock on the door and this time it was accompanied by Stanley's voice."Good morning Sir." He greeted.I didn't bother to respond and went ahead to open the door for him.The moment I opened the door, I flooded him with questions."Did you just arrive now? It's 11 am, Stan, how do you expect to get paid if you want to work for me like this?""Uhmm... Boss, I've been here since 7:30," he stuttered, startled by
Chapter 7Vanessa's POV:The memory of my last conversation with Claire echoed in my mind as I waited for her to return from work. I desperately needed help to deal with the financial mess I was in. The burden of my mother's medication expenses and the threat looming over the stupid car were pushing me to a breaking point. I knew Claire was the only person who could possibly help me out of this mess, but I had to be careful not to push her too hard.I waited for her to come back from work before going to see her.Finally, Claire burst into the room, in a rush to get changed, preparing to head out. "Babe, you're here. I'm going out, we'll see later," she hurriedly said without sparing me a glance, clearly preoccupied."Don't leave, I need your help, Claire,"Her expression shifted slightly, and she asked with a hint of annoyance, "What do you want?"I took a deep breath, summoning all the courage I had left. "Borrow me some money."She looked at me skeptically, "Huh, for what?"I hesit
Chapter 8Andre's POV:The sun's soft rays filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle glow across the room. With a sense of purpose, I readied myself for the day's challenges, my mind already focused on the responsibilities awaiting me at work. I held my necktie loose, going out to find one of the maids to help me knot it when I heard faint sounds of commotion coming from the main gate and I went to the balcony to see who it was. Seeing my mother with the guard, I asked myself why she came here, did she lose all her shame and decide to come so she could be roasted by the Garcias'?"Please, let me see him," she pleaded with the guard at the entrance, desperation evident in her eyes. The guard's stern expression remained unchanged."Madam, my job's on the line if I let you in," he firmly responded. I stood in front of the balcony the whole time, perplexed by how she managed to pass through the estate gate.Watching her plead to see me, a strange sense of satisfaction unfurled. I
Chapter 9Vanessa's POV:I got another job, again with Claire's influence at a small restaurant about 20km from my house, pretty far right? But I have no choice but to accept it.Starting a new job can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. As I stood in front of the modest-looking restaurant, a knot of anxiety tightened in my stomach. The sign above the entrance read "Savory Bites," and I took a deep breath before pushing open the door.The interior was cozy and welcoming, with a handful of occupied tables and the clatter of cutlery against plates. The delicious aroma of various dishes wafted through the air, making my stomach grumble."Hey there! You must be Vanessa, right?" a friendly voice called out. I turned to see a woman in her mid-40s with a warm smile. She was wearing an apron and holding a notepad and pen."Yes, that's me," I replied, offering a shy smile."Claire told me about you," she said, stretching her hand for a quick handshake."I'm Emily, the manager here. Welcome to
Chapter 10Three days later.Vanessa's POV:I finished work early, and then Ms. Emily permitted me to go home early.On my way home, I got a quick notification on my phone, knowing who it was, I didn't bother to open it. He made it a habit to text and flash-call me endlessly over the last few days.On getting home, the house was empty and I remembered Victor informed me that he was taking our mother to the hospital for her routine check. I threw my bag on the chair and went to the kitchen to prepare a meal. After preparing the meal, I took mine to my room to eat. My phone flashed twice before I decided to pick it up but he hung up immediately.I stared at the screen, my heart racing with a mix of fear and curiosity. My fingers hovered over the keys as I typed out the message, my pulse quickening with every tap. "Can you provide your account details for the first payment?"The reply came in, swift and unexpected. A shiver ran down my spine as I read the words: ~The Grand Luminary Hote
Chapter 11Andre's POV: After our meeting at the hotel, I got a call from Ethan that the guys were having a night out at the club and that he had some important news to announce to the group so he wanted me to be there.****As I stepped into the dimly lit bar, the raucous laughter and clinking of glasses greeted me like an old friend. The weight of the week's troubles lifted momentarily from my shoulders. Tonight was meant for unwinding, and I had my closest friends, by my side and then a few of them came with their girls.We found our usual corner at the VIP lounge area and settled in, ordering our drinks and toasting the weekend ahead. The amber liquid in my glass glistened under the dim lights, casting a warm glow on our faces. I was eager to forget about all my worries, especially about my mother."Hey, guys," Ethan spoke as he got up, holding Sarah's hand in his with her smiling sheepishly.The noise on the table reduced as they had everyone's attention. Looking at their body l
Chapter 59Vanessa's POV:Later that night, back at the hotel, I tried to keep my distance. But he was everywhere, partially suffocating my space.I was barely out of the shower when there was a knock at the door. I wrapped the robe tighter around me before opening it slightly, only to find him standing there, hands in his pockets.“Did you forget about the dinner?” he asked, his eyes scanning me briefly before stepping inside without invitation. “You need to get dressed.”I gestured to the dress I had already picked out. “I’m wearing this.”The dress I had chosen was a simple black one—elegant but modest.He gave it one look and dismissed it with a shake of his head. “No.”Frustration bubbled. “What’s wrong with it?”Instead of answering, he lifted the shopping bags with him. I blinked. He had lots of bags, and I wondered if he picked half the store."I got more than five dresses. Try them on.”“You expect me to try all of these?" He didn't respond, so I started opening the bags and
Chapter 58Vanessa's POV:He smelt of cigarettes. Sounded like the “something important” was smoking. My lungs were a bit relieved that he was considerate enough to do it outside.He paused in the doorway, expression unreadable, staring with lazy eyes, and in a nonchalant voice said, “What are you doing?”“Sleeping,” I said, fluffing a pillow.He let out a dry laugh. “Get up.”“I’m fine here.”His voice sharpened. “You're not allowed to do that here. We're sharing the bed, and that's final.”He did look serious. I swallowed. There was no room for argument. Slowly, I stood.I climbed into the bed, keeping as much distance as humanly possible from the other side. He disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of the running shower lasted minutes before the door clicked open again.I couldn't help myself. My eyes flickered over to him, despite my best intentions to look anywhere else. And there he was—standing shirtless, with a towel tucked loosely around his waist and another in his hand,
Chapter 57Vanessa’s POV:The moment I stepped onto the plane, I knew something was wrong.Or, more accurately, something was too right.First-class? I had mentally prepared myself for the stiff seats, the cramped legroom, and the congested space. But here I was, standing in front of a seat so luxurious I almost didn’t want to touch it. Plush cream-colored seats, ample space, and an actual menu? This wasn’t just an upgrade. This was a full-blown Cinderella moment—except my fairy godmother was a sadistic CEO who got a kick out of seeing me squirm.I turned sharply to face Mr. Garcia, who was already settling into the seat beside mine like he owned the entire plane. Which, knowing him, he probably did.“You didn’t tell me we were flying first-class,” I asked, arms crossed.He gave me a slow, lazy smirk. “Would it have made you come willingly if I did?”I clenched my jaw. He didn't tell me he was kidnapping me in luxury.“This is unnecessary,” I muttered, gripping the armrest like it mig
Chapter 56 Andre's POV:The door opened, and she walked in. The intern followed closely behind her, holding her hand, and then departed the moment my eyes lingered.He walked away from her side to stand beside his team manager. My fingers curled into my palm as I watched her approach. She leaned toward me slightly, her voice a soft whisper."Sir, coffee."I took it without a word, refusing to acknowledge the warmth in her tone. I took a sip, and somehow, it tasted more bitter than usual. I frowned and pushed it back to her."Get me a new one," I ordered.She passed me a pissed-off glare before leaving the room.Soon, the meeting ended, and everyone gathered their documents and left. Vanessa moved to pick up my copy of the proposal, but I stopped her. I got up, trapping her between the table with my hands."Sir?" Her voice was low, cautious, and her face held a frown.I tilted my head, watching her carefully. "What? You didn’t have this face downstairs when you laughed at whatever tha
Chapter 55*Obsession-2*Andre’s POV:I ran a hand down my face as she stormed off, exhaling heavily. A part of me felt relieved watching her go—like shedding dead weight. There was no passion, no real connection. Just another failed attempt at something that was never meant to be.Signaling the waiter, I ordered a bottle of whiskey. Tonight, I needed to drown in something stronger than my thoughts.The moment I dropped the bottle, my phone buzzed, and I picked up without checking."How's your date going?" Ethan's voice carried amusement. I exhaled. Sounded like he called just to mock me. I didn't respond, just sighed a second time."Come on... Tell me about it, Andre..." Ethan dragged."Fucked. I broke up with her, and she left."Ethan laughed. "I knew it would end this way. You're that ass who doesn’t know what he wants.""And you do?""Better than you do." He jeered."You alone?""Still at the restaurant, yeah.""Let's drink together then."I leaned back in my seat. "And Sarah?""S
Chapter 54By the time evening rolled around, Vanessa gathered her things and stepped out of the building.Andre stood in front of the glass window, arms folded, watching her leave. The sight unsettled him in ways he refused to acknowledge. The way she carefully balanced the box in her arms, her delicate fingers gripping the edges as if afraid to drop it—it held his attention longer than it should have.She was almost at the gate when someone stepped into her path.The intern from earlier.Andre’s jaw tightened. His eyes sharpened, drinking in every detail of the interaction between them.Vanessa said something, and the guy laughed. His smiling face grated on Andre’s nerves. Then, without hesitation, the intern reached out, offering to take the box from her. Vanessa hesitated for a moment before handing it over, a small, appreciative smile tugging at her lips.Andre's fingers curled into a fist, something dark and restless brewing inside of him.What the hell is she doing?His vision
Chapter 53Andre’s POVI should fire her.The thought came as I leaned against my desk, tapping my pen against the glass surface.It had been hours since I handed Vanessa the reports, and there had been nothing but silence—no updates, no questions, no remarks.A part of me expected her to come running, maybe complaining that she still didn't understand the corrections, but she hadn't.Curiosity won over patience, and before I could talk myself out of it, I stood and made my way out of the office. She had her small desk a few steps away from my secretary Grace's desk in the second office.I pushed the door open and found her there.Head down, resting on her desk.Asleep.I stepped closer, the irritation I'd been preparing slipping through my fingers.Her chest rose and fell in a peaceful rhythm, her long lashes casting shadows over her cheeks. Strands of hair had fallen over her face, and her lips were slightly parted, as if she had fallen asleep mid-thought.She looked... soft.A far
Chapter 52Vanessa’s POVThe car rolled to a smooth stop in front of the company building. Mr. Garcia stepped out first, not even glancing in my direction. He walked ahead, his long strides confident with his expression unreadable.I stayed seated for a moment, gripping the strap of my bag tightly. I inhaled. Exhaled. I could do this. I had spent the last few weeks away from here, so much so that I almost didn't remember what it was like to work in this kind of setting.After my small mental prep, I finally stepped out—only to meet his gaze, pinning me in place."Scared of going in?"I shook my head quickly and got out of the car. His warm hand found mine, his fingers slowly pressing against my cold ones. "Let's go."The air around me shifted. Everything felt blurry as I tried to understand why he was holding my hand, walking beside me so naturally. But I found no reason.The moment we stepped into the lobby, everything seemed to pause. Conversations lowered to whispers, eyes turned t
Chapter 51*A Line We Can’t Cross*Vanessa’s POV:"Babe, sorry I couldn't come again last night."Claire's voice pulled me from my thoughts, and I barely registered her standing in my doorway. I was grateful she hadn’t been around. She would’ve made a big scene, demanding details I wasn’t ready to give.She flopped onto my bed with a sigh. "These days, the workload is insane. Another person quit at the bar."I hummed in response, barely hearing her. My mind was elsewhere.Days had passed, yet the ghost of André Garcia's lips lingered on mine.I was exhausted. The dark circles under my eyes were proof of my sleepless nights. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt the warmth of his hands on my face, the intensity of his gaze before he closed the distance—a continual replay of that moment.I hated it.I hated how my mind refused to let it go."Can you hear me?"Claire’s voice cut through my daze, and I blinked."Hmm?"Her brows furrowed. "You look like you haven't rested in ages. What's wro