CHAPTER FIFTY_ EIGHT~NORA~"Who is this?" I repeated, my voice trembling slightly.There was a pause, and then the voice spoke again, this time with a chuckle. "Don't you recognize me, Nora? I'm hurt."My heart leaped into my throat. I wasn't sure I recognized the voice. I had thought it was someone else, but hearing the voice for the second time proved me wrong. I didn't know who he was nor the cause of his calling me. It made me more curious, the fact that he he knew my full name. I sat up on the bed, curling my knees in front of me as I wrapped my other arm around my knee. My eyes searched the room as the conversation proceeded, although it wasn't heading anywhere yet. "What do you want?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady."Calm down, Nora Amelia James. We are just getting started."I was reeling from the shock of hearing the unknown voice again. But more than that, I was confused and worried. How did this person know my original name? It was something I had never shared
CHAPTER FIFTY_ NINE~NORA~My mouth watered as I waited for more information from the strange caller. I wasn't sure why I was giving him a listening ear and believing what he was saying to me. "Allison is secretly building her own company, and that is where she is transferring all the money from your mother's company."The revelation that Allison was secretly building her own company hit me like a ton of bricks. I was completely floored by the information.But I couldn't help but wonder: if this person knew so much, why hadn't he already taken revenge on Allison himself? Why was he coming to me instead? I had to know more."Why are you coming to me with this information?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly."I want you to have your rightful inheritance. I know I don't have a claim to the company, but you do. And I know the location of the construction site. I can give you directions."I was speechless. The idea of having my rightful inheritance was enticing, but I couldn't help bu
CHAPTER SIXTY~NORA~"The last time, he took Archie's snacks. We even tried to get it from him but he was stronger than the both of us combined. Yesterday he slapped Archie for no reason and hit his head on the table. Today, he took Archie's pen and notebook. I do not know why he is always hurting Archie, " Aria complained bitterly. I let out a sigh, as I stared at Archie with so much concern. He didn't say a word to debunk what his brother had just said, which simply meant that he was affirming to it. He just stared down at the tiles, with a sad look on his face. I pulled him closer and hugged him tightly. "I will go to your school and have a heart-to-heart talk with your school teacher. They would be the ones to stop him from bullying you, and if he continues, then I will know the next step to take," I assured them."Mom, there's one more thing," Aria said, her voice filled with emotions. It was as though she had just remembered something serious. "What is it?" I asked, moving al
CHAPTER SIXTY ONE~NORA~I reached for my phone, making sure that the door to my room was open, just a crack. I then pretended to be on a call, holding the phone to my ear and talking into it."Yes, I'm still here," I said, in a low voice. The footsteps stopped, and I could hear the maid's panting from outside my door."Thank you so much for your help," I said, into the phone. "I appreciate it. Having an extra copy of the financial records is a huge relief. I knew I could trust you. I also know you are the only one who'd be able to help me get an extra copy of the financial records from the James Group of companies. "I could hear the maid's footsteps shifting as if she was trying to get a better listen to my conversation. I hoped she would believe my ruse.As I spoke into the phone, I stole a glance at the mirror in my room. The mirror was standing on the wall, and I stood away from it so she wouldn't see me through the mirror. She could only hear me, but I could see her. And I saw
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO ~NORA~As I was about to leave the dining room, Aiden's voice stopped me in my tracks. "You guys sure are leaving the dining hall a lot!" he said, a hint of annoyance in his voice."Sorry, Aiden," I replied, trying to sound apologetic. "We won't be gone long, I promise.""You are making the food tiring and making today's dinner boring. I am tired of this continuous walking around the place.""I am sorry," I apologised again tapping his chin gently. He moved his face gently away from my hand and forced on a brighter look. I gave him a quick smile and hurried off, hoping I hadn't upset him too much.I climbed the stairs to my room as gently as I could, to avoid making any sounds. As I approached my room, I noticed that the door was ajar. I stopped in my tracks and peered inside. There, in the middle of the room, was the maid, rummaging through my belongings.My heart sank, and my mind raced. I knew exactly what she was looking for. I felt a sense of violation. I s
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE~NORA~Just as I was handing the phone to Aiden, he stretched his hand to receive it. The maid lunged at me, snatching the phone from my hand. I was caught off guard, and she managed to yank the phone from my grasp. With a cry of rage, she threw the phone to the ground, smashing it into pieces.I stood there, stunned. The pieces of my phone lay scattered on the floor, and the maid was panting with anger and fear. The look in her eyes was wild as she tried to calm her panting self down. The room was filled with gasps and murmurs, everyone in shock at what had just happened. Aiden held up his hands, trying to calm the crowd."Everybody, please stay calm," he said, his voice loud and clear. "We need to handle this situation carefully and rationally."I could feel my heart racing, my head spinning with what had just occurred. But I forced myself to focus, to stay calm. This was no time to panic.I knew Aiden would make the right decision. I was sure that I could bank
CHAPTER SIXTY- FOUR ~NORA~Mrs Williams grabbed my shirt, I didn't know what was going through her mind, but three other maids were quick to pull her away from me. I let out a deep sigh of relief. "Please," she said weakly turning to Aiden. Even though the maid was being stubborn, Aiden stood his ground. He turned to the other maids and said."I want this woman removed from the premises immediately. Please escort her to the door and make sure she leaves."The other maids looked at each other, unsure of what to do. But Aiden's tone left no room for argument, and they reluctantly obeyed his command. They took the stubborn maid by the arms and led her out of the room.When they left Aiden turned to me with a smile. "Nora, you're quite the detective!" Aiden said, admiration in his voice. "You noticed something was off, and you didn't let it go until you figured it out. I'm impressed.""No! It was me. It was me who suspected her first," Aria chimed in, a smile on her face. I and Aiden
CHAPTER SIXTY- FIVE~NORA~Aiden, who had been listening to our conversation, spoke up. "How about I drive you both to school and then we can have our date afterward?" he suggested a glint in his eyes.My eyes lit up, as I stared up at Aiden. He continued talking. "That way, we can all go together and then you can have some peace of mind while you're at the school."I looked at Aria, who seemed relieved by Aiden's idea. "That sounds like a good plan," she said, smiling gratefully at Aiden. I let out a smile as well and patted her chin. "Go get your brother so we can leave right away," I said to Aria. She hurried into the room while I and Aiden proceeded to the car. Aiden and I stood by the door, with his driver in front of us ready to open the door whenever we wanted to go in. After a while, the kids joined us and we got into the backseat while the driver took the stirring. "Mom, can I sit in front next time?" Aria asked me. "Of course baby. You can sit in front whenever you
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND THREE ~NARRATOR~Allison began to explain how Harry had been using her from the unset. He had used her also to acquire land and began to build a company. The company was under her name, but it was only a cover-up. She had thought it was hers the whole time, but it was all a lie. "I think the only way Harry knew where we were was because he had a trusted servant among my men. He was a very faithful one who listened in on our conversation and went to tell him."Nora was dumbstruck. She couldn't believe Harry had been trying to erase her family name. Someone she once loved and trusted. Allison went on her knees and crawled towards Nora. She placed her hand on Nora's thigh, and Nora shifted uncomfortably although Allison's hands remained there. "Please, forgive me," she begged. "I swear, it was all greed and the quest for power. I am so sorry that I wronged you because of a man. You are my sister, Nora."Nora began to remember her mother's words in the book she
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWONORAAiden took advantage of the situation. Since the car had blocked the gunmen. He tried to start the car, and the car started this time. He zoomed off, and Edmund's driver followed after us. It was a close call, but they managed to escape. I kept breathing hard and wouldn't stop cursing Allison. Aiden found a spot to do a tricky u_turn. Edmund's driver followed behind us. Soon, they lost us. I turned around and when I realized they were gone, I let out a huge sigh. "That was close," I told Aiden. He simply nodded in agreement. I wondered what would have become of us if we had been caught. I was grateful that we hadn't been caught. We soon got home and met Edmund at home. We narrated everything that happened to him immediately after we dropped down the car. I did the talking. I wouldn't stop blaming Allison. Her name was all over my lips while I spoke. "Thank God you were able to escape," Edmund said. Soon, we were all seated in the sitting room at
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND ONENARRATOREveryone was present, including Edmund, his driver, and the old detective. They were all present at Aiden's mansion. They weren't taking any chances and that was why Nora had called the whole team. The location of the meeting place had been sent to Aiden and they all planned to allow Nora to go with him. At first, Edmund had been against the idea, saying it would be having Allison's two fishes in one net but Nora had told him she had to go with Aiden in case Allison wanted to trick him with some information he wasn't aware of. But it wasn't just the both of them going, the old detective and the driver were to come with but they would stay in their vehicle and hide somewhere nearby. Edmund would stay to guard the mansion. At that point, Aiden didn't trust anyone anymore. Aiden and Nora got into Aiden's car while Aiden took the stirring. The old detective rode with Edmund's driver in another car. After a very long drive, they finally arrived at the
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AIDENI walked into the living room where my father had been ushered in by the maids. I and Ethan walked together, and soon, we were all seated around the dining table. Father didn't smile for a second. I knew what was going through his mind. He must think that I had failed him, and truly I had. We were all quiet for some seconds before Ethan broke the silence. "So the company..."He was saying, but Father cleared his throat and continued. "Yes, the company," Father said and eyed me. He took his gaze to Ethan, and a little smile appeared on his face. "Thank you so much for telling me. It was the right thing to do," he appreciated. "You did well, my son."Ethan nodded with a smile. I rolled my eyes at them. I was sure that Ethan was enjoying the glory of stabbing me in the back. Father was all over him, singing his praises for telling him the truth. He had gone to tell Father, thereby making me look like the bad guy. Father turned to face me. A big frown appe
CHAPTER NINETY-NINE AIDENI was scared of getting into a fight with my father while I was driving. Still, I went ahead to pick up the call, deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt. I picked up the call and placed my phone close to my ear."Hello, Dad," I managed to say, and it ended up as a whisper. It was then that I realized that I had lost my voice. "I will be in your mansion, in thirty minutes, son," he informed make. "Make sure that you avail yourself at home and drop everything else."With my dad hung up. I was furious. I slowly took the phone away from my ear and placed it back by my side. I gritted my teeth and tightened my grip on the stirring. How did my father get to know about the loss of the company? I asked myself different questions. I knew I had ordered the former staff not to say anything to my father. Who must have told him? Was it possible that they could betray me because they no longer worked for me? While I thought about these things, my mind suddenl
CHAPTER Nineth EightNORA I and Aiden sat next to each other in the waiting room, both lost in our thoughts. My mind was going through all the things that had happened for the last five years. All those times –running from one shelter to another with my kids– it was Aiden, their father. It was a lot to take in for me. I just couldn't believe it. I also thought about the possibilities if me and Aiden had been together and I hadn't run away to New York. All those years of suffering and struggling wouldn't be part of my story. I wanted to cry but I pushed it away. I wondered what Aiden was thinking but I couldn't read minds. Well, I wished that I could. For minutes, there was silence between both of us until a nurse came with Aria. She had been treated and was as good as new, all leaping and beaming with smiles. I looked at her warmly and still couldn't believe that I hadn't noticed the resemblance between her and Aiden. I was just seeing it at the moment."Here you go," the nurse sai
CHAPTER Nineth SEVENNORAI blinked thrice in confusion. I couldn't believe what Aiden was saying. "This isn't possible. It must be a trap," I told Aiden. I didn't trust Allison one bit. I was sure she was up to some mischief. I didn't know what it was, but I knew Allison wouldn't just give back to the company. I just wished I could place a finger on what it was that Allison was trying to do. "This must be some kind of... some kind of...." I stuttered.I was still trying to look for the right word to use when Aiden took the words from my mouth. "Some kind of trick, right?""Exactly!" I agreed. "She's probably trying to trick you, then trap you down when you fall into her hands. I don't want you to fall prey. "Aiden chuckled. "You know, I didn't think Allison was a saint. I don't trust her either," Aiden said. "But, if this was a trick. Why would she go all the way to call me herself?"I thought about it for a moment. I wasn't buying it one bit. There must be an explanation for ev
CHAPTER NINETY-SIXNORAI noticed Aiden was walking down the stairs. I was staring at him lost for a few seconds until I heard his voice. I quickly took my gaze from him and shifted it to the floor. He started by clearing his throat. "What is going on here?" He asked. "Archie injured Aria's arm," the maid replied plainly. I didn't even notice her walk into the sitting room. I watched Aiden as he moved his eyes from the maid to the floor. He stared at Aria's blood, which was spilled all over the floor for a while. Then, he lifted his head to look at me. There was a questioning look on his face.I couldn't tell what the look was for. So, I just shifted uncomfortably on my spot. He turned back to face the maid."Where is she?" Aiden asked. "She's with the nanny," the maid replied. "Why didn't anyone go with her to the hospital?" Aiden asked. I and the maid exchanged confused glances. No one said they were at the hospital, so why was he asking about the hospital?"She is with the
CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE ALLISON I and Harry sat quietly in the vehicle. We were seated behind the vehicle while the driver took the stirring. Harry's eyes were fixed on me the whole time. Although, he wasn't staring directly at me. His eyes were fixed on the front mirror, which reflected my face. I could see him through the corner of my eyes, and it made me uncomfortable that he was staring at me so much. I decided to ignore it still. I didn't want to ask him what the matter was. Even though I was tempted to. The drive was boring and the most awkward one I've ever experienced. When we finally got to the mansion, I let out a deep sigh. Harry alighted from the car when the driver opened the door for him. I hesitated for a while before following him behind. When my leg touched the ground, I felt cold shivers run down my spine. Harry didn't say a word to me. He just turned to me with a cold glare.I didn't need him to tell me the meaning of the glare. I was acting sluggish and cold, an