"Are you having someone follow me?" I asked incredulously, shooting a disapproving glance at the man standing before me.I couldn't fathom that Karious would go to such lengths just to track my movements and pry into my affairs."You never mentioned you were going to the bar alone again. And to top it off, you're with Veronica," he said, trying to control his anger as he breathed deeply.I rolled my eyes, refusing to be intimidated by his anger. "So what if I went to the bar with Veronica? We're just having fun! I've met her friends.""You know Veronica is dangerous—""And what? Is that why you're making someone follow me? Hah, I just found out about it now. Why? Don't you trust me anymore after I told you about Yasmin? Karius, I'm only trying to help you here! If you're angry because I'm interfering, maybe you don't really care at all," I retorted, frustration evident in my voice."That's not true. I do care about you and your safety," he said, his tone softening as he took a deep br
"Veronica and I share a unique bond while growing up together in the orphanage. While I was fortunate to be adopted early on, Veronica had to wait longer," Mikael shared.After finishing our meal, the conversation naturally turned towards Mikael's adoptive parents."How are your adoptive parents?" I inquired."They are amazing, truly the best I could have hoped for. They had always wanted a child, but due to my mother's age and the risks involved, they decided to adopt. Miraculously, they later conceived a child, and now I have a younger sister," Mikael explained."That's wonderful to hear. Unlike me, I grew up as the only daughter in my family, surrounded by male relatives. It was quite a surprise to discover I had a sister. But, looking back, it feels like a blessing," I chuckled. I can’t believe I’m spouting this myself.Mikael agreed, and I then shifted the conversation to Veronica's childhood."Tell me more about Veronica as a child. It's unfortunate that we couldn't be there for
"Kassandra, what on earth is this I'm hearing? Poisoning your own employees as a means of revenge against your own sister? What kind of twisted logic is that?""Dad, I'm not heartless like that, you know. It's nothing more than a baseless rumor. I'm actively investigating the source of the food being supplied to them. Someone is maliciously using my name to tarnish my reputation," I exhaled, feeling the weight of the situation.I’ve been up all day. Hunger gnaws at me, yet rest remains elusive. It's difficult to find solace when challenges seem to multiply from all directions."You need to resolve this swiftly. The employees' performance is suffering greatly. We're fortunate no harm befell them." I breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, the outcome wasn't more dire. Those innocent people certainly didn't deserve such a fate. Whoever orchestrated this will soon learn the consequences of toying with our lives."Where is Veronica? She hasn't been home for a few days now. The last time I
"Thank you so much for accompanying me, Mikael. I truly appreciate it, and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. I understand you have a busy schedule at the restaurant." As we headed to the orphanage, the place where Mikael and Veronica had spent their childhood, I felt a mix of emotions. Mikael's reassuring smile accompanied his response, "No need to worry about it. It's perfectly okay." His gaze met mine, conveying a sense of understanding beyond words. However, my internal turmoil persisted. The situation wasn't as simple as he made it seem. I had initially promised that we'd visit the orphanage in two days, but work commitments and unforeseen complications led to today's abrupt plan change. Mikael and I had started our travel early. I had plans to return to the office later in the afternoon. Moreover, news had reached me that Karious had returned home so I didn't go to work this morning because I knew Karious was going to see me. We will talk when I come back
"Ma'am, shouldn't we head back to your condo? Sir Karious seems to be growing impatient," Carlos inquired.I paid little attention to Carlos's remark, my focus fixated on the clothes before me. Hmm, what could be better? What should I reveal? Should it be the back, shoulders, cleavage, stomach, or thighs? I should wear a striking dress for the day where I will reveal Veronica's hidden secrets. It should be my revenge dress. But anyway, I'm not doing revenge, so I wonder what the correct word is to call it? Should I call it...truth revelation dress? I chuckled to myself."Ma'am, what should I tell sir Karious?" Carlos asked again.I shot Carlos an exasperated glance, my brow furrowed. "Can't he exercise a bit of patience? I waited nearly a week for him, did he pay heed to my concerns?" I rolled my eyes and resumed my pursuit of garments. I was leaning towards a dress with a sweetheart neckline. It cascaded elegantly to knee-level at the front, while the back gracefully extended further
"The good thing is, I was able to get her even before she was taken to facilities in another country. It will be more difficult for us to get her if that happens.”"Miss Kassandra, are you with me?" Atty. Buenavida’s voice sharply snapped me back to the present."Oh, I'm sorry, attorney! My mind was wandering," I replied apologetically.He grinned and took a sip on his coffee. "No problem. As I was saying, the evidence you've gathered is more than sufficient to file a case against Ms. Sandoval. By the way, I also need to have a conversation with your boyfriend's attorney to explore all potential legal actions we can take.""Yes, I'll arrange a meeting with you soon, attorney. Thank you so much for your assistance."After concluding the conversation with the attorney, I left the law firm and headed back to the company. As I prepared to leave the building, I reached into my bag to grab my cellphone. I intended to call Karious because we had matters to discuss and a meeting scheduled for
"This evidence proves that Veronica is not my sister. I've tested her DNA with my Dad's, and I learned the truth that she wasn't my sister. I haven't seen the DNA test that Dad mentioned, but I'm convinced it's a forgery," I stated confidently.I presented some documents that contained evidence about Veronica. Especially those CCTV footages where she used my name to impersonate me and destroy my name.Everything was in place. Now, I needed to show all this to Dad to enlist his support and make it clear that Veronica was capable of anything.Karious gave me the go signal to tell my father about everything, starting from the very beginning, exposing all of Veronica's crimes and deceptions. With the evidence Karious and I had gathered, I felt a surge of strength. We planned to file all the cases against Veronica and her husband as soon as tomorrow.Walking into the company, I had Carlos by my side. He was my bodyguard, after all. All eyes were on me as I made my way through, but none dar
My mind was a whirlwind of doubt and jealousy, leaving me utterly lost. I had always believed in my trust for Karius, thinking that nothing Veronica said could sway me. My heart felt like it had grown impenetrable, but somehow, every word from Veronica made sense, and I found myself questioning everything. The battle between truth and deception raged within me, and I felt utterly confused.The thought of confronting Karius filled me with fear. What if Veronica's claims were true? What if I was about to uncover a painful reality? And then, there was my sweet little boy, Rious. His innocent presence added to the turmoil within me.I found solace on the staircase, sitting there, eyes closed, desperately seeking clarity. Each step seemed to lead nowhere, mirroring the maze of my thoughts. My mind was running a marathon, yet my body remained strangely unaffected. I longed for the exhaustion that could match the turmoil in my mind. Floors passed me by, but I didn't care, lost in my thoughts
During the months that I hadn't seen Kassandra, I felt like I was slowly losing my sanity. All the fear I experienced when I learned about the accident she had faced had me on edge. Not finding her body in the burning car gave me a glimmer of hope that she might still be alive. Veronica revealed that the woman in the car was her. She pretended to be Kassandra. This was one of the reasons we hesitated to expose her deception, as we suspected she might be holding Kassandra captive. However, as I tracked and observed her, I realized that even she was searching for Kassandra. I hadn't thought her to be that cunning. She had succeeded in tarnishing Kassandra's reputation, and when the truth came out that she had done nothing, she stole Kassandra's identity. I informed Kassandra's father that the girl we had been with was an impostor. To my surprise, he was already aware because Kassandra had left behind the results of a DNA test and some evidence in his office. Together, we devised a pl
Zackarious "Where is she now?" I asked over the phone. "I found her entering a bar, sir. She's now on the dance floor, dancing," said my investigator. My jaw dropped when I heard it. And finally! my ex-wife, Veronica, also showed up. I've been searching for her for weeks now because I intend to make her pay for what she did to our son. Stealing money from my company? I can forgive that, but harming my child? I can't overlook that. She cheated on me several times and left us for another man. I admit that I was preoccupied with work, but I made every effort to cater to all her desires. I can't believe she would betray me like this. I married her when I learned that I had impregnated her. I've had past relationships with women, and accidentally impregnating someone is something I cannot turn my back. So, even though I didn't have strong feelings for Veronica, I married her. We were together for years, and even though our family wasn't perfect, I made sure that we stayed together and
This is the last chapter of the story. The next chapter would be special chapters under Zackarious point of view....I woke up lying in a hospital bed, the world slowly coming back into my senses. The voices of people talking around me filled the room."I want that woman and all her accomplices to rot in hell!""They definitely will, sir. The case filed against them is layer by layer. We also have lots of evidence, so we can definitely win the case."I gradually opened my eyes, greeted by the sight of a white ceiling. The voices drew closer."She's awake!" someone exclaimed. Footsteps approached, and soon after, I saw my dad being pushed in a wheelchair by a nurse. Tears welled up in his eyes as he tightly held my hand."My child, I’m sorry! It's my fault why this happened to you. If only I had listened to you from the beginning, you wouldn't have suffered like this!" he cried.A smile broke across my face, though my eyes brimmed with tears. I hadn't seen my father in a long time, an
WARNING: This chapter contains violence not suitable for young readers. This is a work of fiction but still, you may find the scenes distressing enough so I highly encourage everyone to stop reading if underage. Thank you.I tightly shut my eyes, tears streaming down my cheeks. The regrets of yesterday flooded my mind. There were moments when I had complained about the life I lived, not realizing that someone like Veronica had been working tirelessly to take my place. Memories of my mother's final moments rushed back to me. She had expressed her happiness at my birth, despite being abandoned by those she thought would protect her. She had told me that I was her only treasure, her one hope in a world that seemed determined to see her fail.I could barely recall her voice, but her scent and her warm embrace were etched deep within my memory. Though our time together had been short and devoid of many happy moments, I knew she had always been by my side, silently guiding me. I had harbore
"You know how fortunate you are, Kassandra, because you have parents. Everything you desire is handed to you on a silver platter. You've never had to wander the streets, yearning that you should have never been born. You know what's ironic? I even liked your father, despite knowing that his promises to hand me the company were empty threats for you. I knew he was just trying to intimidate you. I suspect he's aware that I'm not truly his daughter. But you know what made me happy? He accepted me, even though he knew I wasn't his daughter. But what have you done, Kassandra? You've only hurt your father, rebelled against him. If you talk back to him, it's as if he's not your parent. You should be in my shoes, because you don't deserve all the privileges you have," Veronica sneered.I shot her a venomous glare."And you know what? When he found out I had an accident and supposedly died? He hardly seemed to care. He even appeared to breathe a sigh of relief because, instead of you, it was m
Instead of heading straight to Dad's place, I made my way back to my condominium. I stood in dumbfounded silence, staring at my own reflection in the elevator. I knew what lay ahead if I followed Veronica's wants. No matter how many times such choices were presented to me, my resolve to obey for Rious' safety remained unshaken. He was the most important, and I cared little for what Veronica might inflict upon me. I just wanted Rious to be safe.Acting swiftly, I changed into pants so I could move more easily to escape, packed essential items into a small backpack, and tried to come up with a plan, although my nervousness about Veronica's intentions enter me. Regardless, I had to go through with it. If it was true that she could predict my actions, I had to catch her off guard.I stashed money, knives, water, and crackers in my bag. There was still ample time until the scheduled meeting, so I had time to strategize how to be ahead of Veronica.She claimed to know when I reported anythi
I woke up the next day and I found myself alone in bed. I was naked when I peeked under the blanket. I couldn’t see Karious in the room. He doesn’t seem to be in the bathroom either because I don’t hear any noise from there.I stood up and quickly entered the bathroom to take a shower. I smiled as I observed several red marks that were scattered in different parts of my body. I feel sore but satisfied. I also feel glowing. I just woke up, but my face and hair seem healthy. I bit my lip as I remembered what happened last night.That was actually the best! I came so many times I lost count! I would love to do it again this morning if I ever found Karious lying beside me but unfortunately, I woke up alone. I wonder where Karious is now.I hurriedly entered the shower, aware that I had lost track of time lost in reverie about the previous night's escapades. As I stepped into the walk-in closet, my expectations were already set: I wouldn't find any of my clothes. To my astonishment, howeve
As we stepped into the elevator of Karious' condo building, an irresistible urge took hold of us, and we found ourselves unable to resist the pull of each other's lips. We descended to the parking lot, our hands still intertwined. A tangible symbol of anticipation filled the air. Thoughts of what awaited us in his condo stirred a mixture of excitement and nervousness within me. This was the first time our relationship would progress to such an intimate level without the influence of alcohol and I'm gonna make sure that I will not forget this tomorrow. As we walked hand in hand, lost in each other's presence, we barely registered the curious glances and hushed whispers of the employees around us. They can’t do anything anyway but watch. They can’t oppose us either because it’s our life. I doubt that they have any idea what is happening. When we reached our car, it was a good thing that Karious drove because if we had a driver, we might have done something inside. I might go home with
I halted just before entering the office, and there stood Karious, leaning against my desk. I had intended to greet him with a smile, but the intensity of his gaze made it seem as though he wanted to tear me apart from where I stood.He swiftly approached me making my eyes widened, and I instinctively backed up until my back was against the office door."W-what?" I stammered as he came to a stop right in front of me. He was so close that I nearly stumbled, pressing against the door."How long do you plan to hide from me?" His voice was tense as he asked. Nervousness gripped me."What do you mean, Sir Karious?" I inquired, my voice quivering.I don’t say much about my plan. If this was about my true identity, I suspected he might already have a notion that I was Kassandra, so I wasn't sure what he meant by hiding."If you needed help, you should have sought me out," he stated calmly."I need you. That's why I'm here with you," I responded softly, my gaze locked on him.He averted his e