Harriett retouched her makeup in the restroom and took a deep breath, reminding herself that she had no business caring about who Damien was with. “I see you’re still not over Damien.” The overly familiar voice of Evelyn boomed through the walls and Harriett rolled her eyes as soon as she saw her standing by the door. Deciding to be the mature one, Harriett remained quiet and continued with her business. Evelyn clenched her fists and walked closer to her until she was sure Harriett could no longer ignore her. “Damien doesn’t love you, Harriett. He never did and he never will. I hope this sinks into your stupid brain.” Evelyn continued and Harriett couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped her lips as she put her lip gloss into her purse and turned her full attention to her. “Is that your insecurity speaking?” She smiled sweetly but her eyes were filled with terror. “You know so well that I have made no approach on Damien since I returned. Instead, he has been the one running after
Tony noticed the stare between both women and understood that it had something to do with Damien. He had noticed the man ogling at Harriett since he walked into the restaurant and he couldn’t help but wish he and Harriett chose a different restaurant.Harriett shifted her gaze from Evelyn and relaxed into her seat, enjoying her plate of steak and red wine.They finished quickly and were the first to leave the restaurant. As Harriett stood up to leave, Damien felt the urge to go after her as he didn’t know when next he would have the opportunity to see her again. “What do you think about my dress, Damien? I chose it carefully because I knew you’d like it.” Evelyn said, calling his attention but the man’s gaze was fully on his ex-wife.“Damien?” She groaned when she saw that he was still staring at Harriett. “Give me five minutes, Evelyn.” Damien said without looking at her as he hurried out of his chair to get to Harriett."What? Damien? Wait?"Evelyn called out but he was already lo
Harriett found her feet glued to the ground as she stared at the angelic face of her ex mother-in-law. Her plan was to attend Eric's wedding and quietly return to Paris as she was not ready to face Damien’s family. But, with the couple now seated a few steps away from her, she knew that there was no way out of this. “Mother?” Her voice came out in a low whisper. Stacy left her seat and rushed to Harriett, engulfing her in a tight hug. Harriett’s guilt made her unable to return the hug as she just stood like a robot, her eyes stinging with unshed tears. “My goodness, Harriett. You have no idea how much I have missed you.” Stacy pulled out of the hug and held Harriett’s face with her palm. “You look… different.” Stacy confessed with a heavy heart. She couldn’t deny the fact that even with the unshed tears in her eyes, Harriett still looked happier than when she was married to Damien. Even her body looked healthier. It was obvious that she had been paying more attention to it unl
As Harriett said her goodbye to Stacy and Thomas, her chest felt like a weight had been lifted off it. After years of guilt, she had finally introduced to the twins to their paternal grandparents. Tony on the other hand, couldn’t help but feel that Harriett might be having second thoughts on staying in New York. Now that she had told her Ex in-laws about the children, moving to Paris would be a selfish move as she would be taking them away from everyone. Including her Ex-husband. “Do you mind if I come in?” Tony added as he placed a knock on the door that was already open. Harriett sat beside her twins who were already fast asleep, a smile glued to her face. “Someone is over joyed.” Tony chuckled, taking a seat beside her. “Actually. I am, Tony. I feel… free.” She confessed, turning to Tony who noticed that she had been crying but they weren't sad tears. “I’m with my family, my babies are happy, Damien knows about his children and his parents met them too. Everything that used to
That same night, Harriett got a text from Damien who asked for an opportunity to see the twins the next day. How he got her number was still a mystery to her but she didn’t bother saving his number as she planned on avoiding him as much as she could.After much deliberation, she finally agreed but with a condition that he would report every of their activities to her in real time. It was her way of ensuring that her children wouldn't spend even a second with that wicked Evelyn.She knew that her ex-husband could be easily manipulated by that sly fox.All that was left was the hardest part- Telling the twins about their father.It shouldn’t be hard especially since they had been wanting a father but Harriett couldn’t help but feel like she had cheated them for years when she had to lie about the whereabouts of their father. A few months later and she was revealing a man to them.It made her feel terrible.“You’re doing the right thing, Su ji. No matter how much you resent him, at the en
“Daddy!” Addison screamed from where she stood and both men turned to her and immediately a smile appeared on both their faces. But het tiny legs mover towards Tony and wrapped her tiny arms around his legs. Damien felt his heart tighten and suddenly his eyes stung as he watched his daughter happily run to his rival. That was his daughter calling another man her father. To say that he was angry would be an understatement.He needed to speak to Harriett and find out how she could let them call him their father when she wasn’t even in a romantic relationship with him.What right did he have to be called that?“Come here, my love.” Tony said on purpose and carried Addison in his arms while Adrian stared at Damien.Harriett couldn’t raise her head to look at Damien because she knew that he would be fuming. “He isn’t your father, Addison.” She sighed and took her from Tony, guilt enveloping her.“This is your father….. your real father.” She revealed and the children just stared at Damien
Evelyn stood at the door with a confused look, not understanding why Damien was with a child. She was about opening her mouth to speak when she realized that it was the same child Harriett was with at Eric’s wedding. As that truth dawned on her, her mood suddenly changed and a surge of anger flowed through her veins. The thought that Harriett could be in this house with her children made her red with anger. She could already see Harriett winning the challenge by using her children and she wasn’t going to let that happen.“I’ll rather die than let Damien get back with that bitch and her children.” She said under her breath as she stared at Adrian.“You didn’t call, Evelyn. What are you doing here?” Damien asked with an unpleasant look on his face. He hated that she had to show when he was trying to spend some time with his son. This wasn’t good for him since he needed to prove to Harriett that he would be a good father to the twins. What father brings in another woman to his house in
“What can I do to make you come back to me?” Damien asked, his eyes begging Harriett. He knew that it would take years if he tried on his own so, he wanted to hear her own terms from her mouth. Maybe then, he’d be able to win her heart faster. Harriett on the other hand wasn’t ready for the conversation, especially with Adrian sleeping in her arms. But, she was still going to let him know how she felt before leaving. “Don’t you think you should earn my forgiveness first? Wanting me to come back to you is a big step. You need to start from the beginning, Damien. Goodnight.” And with that she left him to his thoughts and strolled into the house to tuck Adrian in. When she was done with Adrian and went to her room, she realized that she had the opportunity to make him kneel and beg for her forgiveness, thereby winning the challenge. But, what fun is it if Evelyn wasn’t there to witness it? Since it was still early, she went downstairs to join her father and Tony in their conversation
“She is all by herself, boss. This is the perfect time to take her. Give us the order and consider it done.” One of the men said into the phone with his eyes still glued to Lily as she headed back to the hospital on foot.A sigh was heard from the line, a sign of hesitation from Louis and one of the men concluded that Louis wouldn’t be able to give the order since Lily was his ex-girlfriend. So, he gave a sign to the man who was on the call with him, telling him to go ahead with the initial plan regardless of what Louis instructs.“What is your conclusion, boss?” The man asked, hoping Louis would go ahead with the plan but, there was still hesitation from him so, they decided to end the call and kidnap Lily before she was completely out of sight.They left their hiding place and began approaching Lily but just as they were about to get close to her, Tony came out of nowhere and wrapped his hands around her, oblivious to what was about to happen. The men immediately took a U-turn and r
“Also, the man she is with now is Tony Martinez, the owner of TM Hospital.”At the mention of Tony’s name, a frown appeared on Mehdi’s face as he visibly tensed up. “Tony Martinez?” He asked again to be sure Louis didn’t make a mistake.“Are you sure?”“Yes, Draco. I have seen him in person myself.” Louis replied and Mehdi gritted his teeth in anger.Tony was no stranger to him. He had received a lot of donations from Tony and had even given his donations to Tony’s hospital. He had exchanged pleasantries with him at various events, parties, and award ceremonies so, he knew that Tony was a patriotic citizen who frowned at corruption.If Louis’s girlfriend opens her mouth and reveals his secret to Tony, he is sure he and his gang will be done for.Draco let out a long sigh, his face hardening as he processed the information he had just received. “I know Tony Martinez alright. We’ve met a few times. Events, awards, parties… and I can tell you this, he is a fucking poster boy for patrioti
“Martin is back, and he wants you at the hideout immediately. I think Drogo heard about the shootout you ordered.” Louis’s throat went dry, and he felt his heart jump out of his chest as he listened to the last part. He wasn’t as brave as he was when he ordered the shootout before getting confirmation from Martin, who was his superior. “H-how the fuck did that happen? Did anyone snitch?” He asked in an unstable voice. “No one needed to, man. It’s all over the news and everyone knows that you and Martin control this district. If Martin didn’t order the shootout, it means you did. It’s quite obvious.” The man over the phone replied. “Shit!” he exclaimed. “Come quickly. Drogo is angry.” The man said, and ended the call, leaving Louis to wallow in fear. He quickly put on his jacket, threw his phone into one of his pockets , grabbed his wallet and dashed out of his apartment. As he drove to the hideout, he searched his mind for a suitable lie that would get him out of the
“Stay with me tonight,” Lily whispered, clutching Tony’s arms like he would disappear if she let him go. “You want us to spend the night together. Are you sure about this?” Tony asked, a small smile making its way to his lips. Lily was always running from him and avoiding times like this, but here she was suggesting that they spend the night together. Lily’s eyes widened, and her cheeks reddened as she finally understood his words. “I didn’t mean it like that!” She gasped, letting go of his hands and shaking her head to get rid of the obscene thoughts. Seeing her flushed face, Tony laughed. “I was only teasing you, Lily. I know you didn’t mean it in that way.” He clarified, chuckling at her. He then brought his fingers to her face and caressed her cheek, his eyes holding sincerity. “That doesn’t mean it isn’t going to happen one day and believe me, Lily, that day is near.” He whispered as his thumb brushed her lip and Lily’s breath hitched, butterflies erupting in her bel
“I…I think I should head upstairs.” Lily said quietly, breaking the piercing silence. Tony immediately turned to her, wanting to reach out to her and hold her in his arms.“Wait!” Rachael called out before Lily stood up and grabbed her hand calmly. “You know I have nothing but love for you in my heart, right?” She asked, her eyes filled with a mix of sadness and frustration.Lily moved her lips to give a reply but no words came out.“I care about you just as much as Tony does,” Rachael said and shook her head, deciding to rephrase her sentence. “Okay, maybe not as much as Tony but I do care for you. I want you to be safe and I want you to be happy but, not at the expense of my brother’s life.” Rachael said with tears in her eyes.She wasn’t going to let her brother make a decision that could end his life as long as she was alive, even if it meant taking Lily out of his life. All she wanted was her brother’s safety.She had only known Lily for a few weeks after all. She wasn’t going t
Later that day, Lily and Tony finally clocked out of the hospital after what was the most stressful day for Lily since she resumed. Her emotions were on a rollercoaster and so were her hands and feet as she was assigned to a doctor to help with the massive inflow of critical patients.A large number of nurses and doctors were staying through the night to watch the patients but, Tony knew that Lily wasn’t in the right state of mind to have an all-nighter at the hospital so, he spoke to Dr. Lorey and had another nurse take her place.“She isn’t feeling well, Lorey, and the last thing I’d want is for her health to deteriorate. I am sorry that I’m doing this when the hospital needs all the hands it can get.” He apologized.“I understand, Tony. I saw her at the emergency ward and she looked like she would fall at any minute. I was going to tell you to take her home. I’m sure the others will understand.” Dr Lorey said with a warm smile and Tony thanked her before leaving to get Lily who was
“I have something to tell you!” They choruses at the same time, surprising each other. “You go first.” Tony decided to be a gentleman and hear what she had to say first but, Lily was too curious about his information to let things be. “No. Let me hear what you have to say first.” She countered, hoping to buy some time for herself. Shaking his head in refusal, Tony pressed. “You go first, Lily. Don’t worry, I won't chicken out.” He added with a reassuring smile. After a few seconds, Lily nodded and decided to go first. “I…” She started but was interrupted by Tony. “Wait! I don't think it's wise to do this here.” He said, looking around. “Come with me.” Tony grabbed her hand and led her to his office, ignoring the stares from some of the nurses. Lily didn’t care anymore about what others had to say or their judgmental stares, not when her life was in danger. She just wished that the nurses would pay more attention to their critical patients rather than prying into her and T
Unknown Number: [You have one week, Lily.]With shaky hands, Lily dropped her phone to the ground and clasped her hands around her mouth, stopping her screams from leaving the room. She didn’t need anyone to tell her who the sender was.There was only one person on the face of the earth who could threaten her in such a gruesome manner.Louis Moreau.Suddenly, all Lily could hear was the screams coming from the emergency ward which was filled with people who had been victims of the gang shooting and all she could think of was Louis’s text.“Did he do that just to send a warning to me?” She thought in a shaky breath and her heart hammered against her chest, almost as if it would explode.“Did so many people die just because of me? Am I responsible for these cries of agony?” Hot tears trickled down her cheeks as the realization dawned on her.Louis was willing to do anything to get her back even if it meant killing a hundred people.This made her realize that he could hurt Tony or even R
“Lily. She is the connection I have with them. Her ex-boyfriend is a member of the gang.” Tony revealed with a straight face, awaiting Dr Raph’s reply. A few seconds pass and nothing is heard from him but just as Tony opens his mouth to speak again, Dr Raph finally speaks up. “What?!” He yells, loud enough for anyone who is outside the office to hear. “What the fuck did you just say?” “Quiet down, Man. This is an office.” Tony scolded, shaking his head but Dr Raph was not having it. Not when he had just dropped a bomb that could affect him and the entire hospital if not handled properly. “Don’t fucking tell me to calm down, Tony. Don’t! How the fuck did you get involved with a girl like that?” The words left his mouth before he could caution himself. Tony immediately shot him a harsh glare and he immediately cleared his throat before rephrasing his sentence. “Don’t get me wrong, Tony. Lily is a nice and hardworking girl. I have seen that but, she was dating a gang member! Doesn’t