CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE ~NORA~I took a step forward, and another, and yet another. As I approached Aiden's mansion, she felt a sense of dread building up inside of me. I wanted to be sure what to do when I got into the mansion. I donated what I was going to do when I finally stood in front of Aiden. I finally got to the gate, and three imposing men in black overall stood outside the mansion. I took my gaze to my belongings, which were scattered by the corner, and my throat went dry, and I tried to gulp down enough saliva. The men stood in front of the gate, and when I tried to go in, they placed their hands as obstructions, stopping me from entering the mansion. I immediately understood what was going on, yet I didn't want to leave without attempting to see Aiden. I tried to plead with the security guards, but they were unyielding. "Please, you don't understand!" I said, my eyes almost filled with tears. "This is a mistake. I need to talk to Aiden."But the guards just shook their
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR~NARRATOR~Edmund stood tall and proud, his powerful presence filling the room. Despite his age, he had the bearing of a warrior, his eyes gleaming with the fire of a man who had seen many battles. He was bald, yet very handsome. He spoke with a deep, resonant voice that seemed to fill the air around him. As he greeted Nora, she could not help but feel a sense of awe and respect. He seemed like a man who had seen and done many great things in his life."Hello Nora, " he greeted, stretching his hands towards her. Nora quickly snapped out of her reverie and shook his hand, trying to maintain her composure.Edmund sat across from Nora, he took in her appearance. She was a striking woman. He could tell that she had been through a lot, but there was a strength in her that was undeniable. "I'm glad to finally meet you in person," he said, smiling. "My name is Edmund, and I'm the one who's been calling you about your mother's case.""Hello, Edmund, " Nora greeted with a
CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE~NORA~I brought my phone out of my pocket, opened my call log, and dialed Allison's number. At first, she didn't pick up. My heart was beating very fast, and at first, I feared for the safety of my kids. Why wasn't she picking up? I hoped she hadn't hurt my kids. Where did she drop her phone? All of these thoughts and more ran through my mind as I thought about Allison. My fingers began to tremble as I tapped on her number once again. I placed the phone close to my ear and listened to it ring with my heart racing until it got disconnected. "Shit!" I exclaimed. I dialed her number one last time. I was about to give up when I noticed she had picked up from the other end."What do you want?" Allison asked, her voice cold and unfriendly."Where are my kids?" I asked her, my voice shaking slightly."Well, they are safe, for now," Allison replied. "But, it won't last long, though, so don't marry yet.""Please, don't hurt my kids. I'll renounce everything that was sa
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX~NORA~The car pulled up in front of a mansion. The men got down and carried my kids out of the car. They pulled me by the hair and dragged me into the mansion. I was in pain, but I refused to give them the honor of seeing it on my face. I tried not to cry or whimper in pain. I put on a strong face while they dragged me by my hair into the mansion. My men carrying my kids followed closely behind. They took us upstairs and opened a room, then they pushed me inside and dropped my kids by my side. They locked the door behind us and left. I began banging on the door and kicking it hard. "Allison!" I screamed as though she could hear me. "Allison, ask your men to open the door."I kept screaming and hitting the door, but it was not walking. "You ass hole! You freak! Allison! Why are you so heartless? Let us out of here!"I could see that my efforts were not paying off, yet I went ahead, laying curses and hitting the door so hard. "Allison! Get us out of here!" I cal
CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN~NORA~"You want to die, right?" Allison asked me, as the men brought me out of the pool. I shook my head. But, not as a response to her question. It was a reaction to the pain of being submerged under water for a few seconds. Plus, I wanted the water to fall off. "I will ask again, " Allison said. "Who are your allies?" I was mute. I lifted an eyebrow at her, and she stared at me like I had committed a huge offense. "You don't want to speak?" Allison asked. Still, I remained silent. I wouldn't speak about my allies even if it meant that she would cut off my tongue.She lifted her finger and her men grabbed me and dipped my head in the water again. I stayed there struggling and holding my breath for another long second which seemed like an hour, until the men brought me out of the water."Are you ready to speak now?" He questioned. I sighed deeply, and for the first time, I spoke up. "I do not have any allies," my response was cold and blunt. Allison let o
CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT~ALLISON~I picked up the call and walked away from the place. I shifted to another corner and placed the phone close enough to my ear. "Hello, Allison, " I heard my boyfriend's voice from the other end of the call. "Hello," I replied. "What have you done with Nora, yet? Honey?" He asked me. "She's looked up in the room upstairs," I replied. "She's there with her kids.""Are you out of your mind?" He shouted at me. "What do you mean?" I asked him."I mean, how could you?" He questioned. "How could you leave her like that?" "I am still lost!"He growled, frustrated at my reply. "You should have killed her," he fired."Killed her?" I questioned. "Why? I mean, it isn't time yet. ""You know we need to get rid of her right away," he argued. "We do not want her to become a problem for us in the future. ""But, I still need her for a while. She's proving stubborn...""Enough!" He shouted. "Get rid of her right away. ""But..."Before I could say another word, he
CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE ~NORA~My kids began to cry due to fear. My heart was bleeding because I couldn't stand seeing their tears. It was painful to watch my kids cry. I tried to keep my emotions in check, but my hands kept trembling. I tried to think of a way out. But, no idea would come. I sat there trying to rack my brain. I didn't know what to do. It was really sad to think that you'd already escaped, and then, all of a sudden, you were captured once again.I made up my mind that I was going to plead with them to let us go. I wouldn't let them capture my kids and me again. Better still, I would beg them to go with me and leave my lids out of it. I shit my eyes tightly and was breathing heavily as I heard the sound of the car engine approaching us in haste. I tried to distract myself from the cry of my kids from behind. Seeing them like this was so difficult. I wished there was something I could do to help. The only way out was to try pleading with them. If they had any atom of sy
CHAPTER NINETY ALLISON I pulled up into my live-in mansion and parked at the parking lot. I alighted from the car placed my car key inside my bag, and walked straight into the mansion. Getting into the mansion, I met Frank seated on the couch in the sitting room. I walked up to him, and when I stood in front of him, I greeted him. "Good morning, Frank." I waited for his reply. But, instead, he decided to stay quiet for as long as he wished before he finally responded. "Why didn’t you kill Nora?" He snapped. I was withdrawn. He didn't even have the courtesy of at least responding to my greetings. Instead, he was more concerned about why I hadn't killed Nora.. it wasn't new to me. Yet, each day Frank displayed his domineering character I still played shock. Jeremy wouldn't ever cease to amaze me with new reasons to get mad. Then he'd begin to yell at me, ignore me, or even try to hit me. Frank was violent and I knew it. "Why didn't you kill Nora?" His thunder voice came ag
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