“Anita, it is the 1st of May on Monday.” Jorge said to Anita as she jogged towards him from the shore. They were currently at the beach after Jorge said they needed to ‘loosen up’ a bit. They had left the private beach so that Anita could get a glimpse of Cape Town and its people before they go back to London.
“I know that!” Anita chuckled and slumped down next to him on their picnic blanket.
“Well, it is MJ’s birthday.” He said, playing with a silver necklace.
“And she does not like celebrating it.” She said as a matter of fact.
“I just…I want to do something special for her.” Jorge said quietly.
"Something like what? Jorge, how many times have we planned a birthday party or office party and she didn't show up?" Jorge sighed as he thought about what Anita was saying.
There was no way of denying the truth, indeed they had
"Mr Parker." Thuso nodded, entering Logan's home office."Thuso, I thought you had a family crisis; what are you doing here?" Logan asked flatly, sitting on his white office couch.“It’s been sorted, Sir.” Thuso said with his hand behind his back.“Great, at least now you can do what I pay you to do.” Logan said sharply. “You know I don’t appreciate workers who mix business with pleasure; you sort out your family issues outside of work, after working hours.” He said sternly.“Yes, Sir.” The driver gave a slight bow.“Good. I want you to go over the CCTV footage and see if you can find anything on the accident from yesterday. It was a black car with tinted windows; I could not make out who was in there, and strangely, the street cameras were off in that duration.” He gestured at his laptop on the desk. Thuso walked towards it and turned the screen s
Birthdays. That one day of the year that commemorates the day one was born and brought into this world. MJ had not celebrated her birthday in years - thirteen years to be exact. It was as if her life ended the moment she turned fifteen.Before any of these things happened, she could have sworn that birthdays without Jorge were like thunder without rain and a heart without a heartbeat, but she was not so sure anymore. MJ was furious when she discovered that Jorge’s ‘urgent’ meeting was only a front to get her to come to Johannesburg. He knew that if he had told her, she would not have agreed, and the only way she would talk to him was if it had something to do with Billings Corporations.The clock had just turned to twelve o’clock midnight and it was the 1st of May; MJ’s birthday, but she felt nothing. It felt like any other autumn evening accompanied by chilly winds.“Happy birthday, May Jeanette!” Jorg
Days were shorter, nights longer. Winter had marked its arrival as night fell too early as compared to summer where 7p.m. was sunset.Gauteng Maboneng. A very unique description of the beauty of Johannesburg at night. The streetlights and house lights illuminated the city, marking its beauty with its brightness.Sandton was the ‘it’ place in Johannesburg. Always busy. From fancy hotels to fancy restaurants, from fancy shops to fancy apartments, but nothing could compare to Cnr Grayston Dr and Rivonia Rd. Expensive cars piled up the streets, marking the presence of very important people, and a very important and big occasion.A red carpet laid on the grounds of The Maslow Hotel from outside, all the way inside, and journalists littered outside the entrance of the hotel, taking pictures and interviewing some of the guests.The inside of the hotel was exquisite and the most luxurious. It was covered in gold from head to to
Twenty-eight years ago she had been brought into this miserable world. A world filled with so many inevitabilities; love, hatred, failures, riches, disloyalty, treachery, abuse, defeat, deceit – a whole lot of pointless things. But none of that mattered; she had seen it all, she had been through it all, and yet, here she stood, not even a single scratch on her face or as little as a single tear burning in her hollow eyes. But still, none of that mattered.This was how she had always spent her birthdays, whether it was in New York, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Cape Town or London; it was the same thing every night before the clock hit midnight and her birthday was over. She would either be in her office or her house, watching the stars or the black night sky like she was doing right now.She stood on the rooftop of The Maslow Hotel, staring at the sky while counting the stars, something she was well accustomed to now. She would count the stars whil
“This is a special party for a very special person. We have a lot of things lined up for you, but before we continue, I would like for us to give the birthday girl’s brother a chance to speak. Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Jorge Billings to the stage!” Anita said, and the guests clapped as Jorge made his way to the stage.“Uhm…first of all, I would like to thank you for coming at such a short notice, I’m really grateful for that, thank you.” Jorge spoke up. “People often ask me what’s the most important thing in my life, and the answer is always the same – MJ Billings." He said with much-held adoration. "You are probably listening to me right now, and if you are, I want you to know that I love you, MJ, and my words don't even begin to describe my love for you." He said and his eyes wandered over the crowd, the only person he was looking for, missing. "Not only did our mother leave this world on this day
It was a Wednesday morning after her birthday when MJ woke up to the sound of the door banging. She groaned and walked to the sitting room, and strolled to the door. The banging continued, and she pulled the door wide open and was caught by an unexpected sight, all the words she had at the tip of her tongue forgotten. “Morning, beautiful.” Logan greeted with a smirk plastered on his face. He was wearing all white - white jeans, a white long-sleeved T-shirt, and white shoes.“What are you doing here?” MJ asked grimly. She had not seen him since the night of her birthday, and Logan had expected her to show up for work but she never did.“Aren’t you going to let me in?” He asked, but she just crossed her arms. He sighed and stared at her, but she did not budge. "We are going cruising, we really need to talk." He said with a deep breath, hoping that she would not turn him down again as she did on the night of her birthd
4th May 2017; a Thursday like any other. From local newspapers to the world’s top newspapers, social media, local radio stations, TV shows - they were all buzzing with Logan Parker’s engagement and the sudden wedding.MJ stood at the balcony outside Jorge's beach house in Cape Town. She was wearing Jorge's oversized black sweatpants and a T-shirt. The cool breeze blew her brown hair as she leaned over the railing with a faraway look.Jorge walked in quietly with two mugs in his hands. “Tea?” He asked and handed her one of the mugs.MJ turned around and took the tea. “Thanks.” She said and took a sip of her tea. She turned back around and looked at the beautiful view of the ocean from the balcony. Jorge stood next to her, slid one of his hands in his pocket, and drank his tea. They drank their tea in silence, with Jorge stealing quick glances at MJ whenever she was not looking.“I can’
Logan was on his way back to work when he found Carmen with the helpers lined up in the sitting room, and she pulled him towards them and asked him to tell them the good news, but instead, his anger flared up and he ordered them to get back to work.He threw his bag on the couch, took off his jacket and threw it on the couch as well, and then he rolled up his sleeves. “How could you do something like this?” He shouted at Carmen while pacing about his sitting room.Carmen frowned. “What do you mean? You proposed to me, here’s the ring!” She said and waved her left hand in his face.Logan stared at her and wondered why he had done this. He had obviously proposed to Carmen to get back at MJ now that it was in the open that he knew the truth, but instead, it seemed as though he had dug his own grave. “This is so absurd!” He shouted and laughed humourlessly.“You proposed to me, you got do
She could not remember the last time she felt such an adrenaline rush; it set her body on fire as excitement coursed through her veins.The apprehension she felt before, dissipated the moment she realised that she was basically alone on the top floor of Logan Parker's house. Who knew what secrets this house held?She still remembered Logan's house from her childhood years and back when they were dating. There were many rooms, but she knew where the important ones were; including his study, office, and his bedroom – the perfect places to bury his secrets and important information.From what she remembered, there were no cameras; hopefully that was still the case. She surveyed the house until she found his room, and as expected; it was locked. Logan never trusted anyone when it came to his personal spaces, especially since he was a heavy sleeper.MJ found his office, and strangely, it was not locked; it seemed as though he was
“Yes, that’s right!” Carmen laughed. “I know who you are.” She smirked. “Darn! You had us all fooled, you smooth bitch!” She continued to laugh, placing both her hands on the table for support, feeling proud to have MJ Billings at her mercy. At least that was what she thought.She had no idea what MJ Billings had in store for her. “And I underestimated you.” MJ said, sitting up straight. You have it bad! MJ thought.Carmen was willing to do anything to keep Logan that she did not realize the mistake she had made, but even if she did, it would have been too late. Not only did MJ Billings have leverage on her now, she practically had her life in her hands. But like the snake she was, MJ kept quiet, preying on her like silent venom.“And I proved you wrong.” Carmen said proudly.MJ studied her. She was a fair girl, beautiful beyond doubt. She was wearing a short brown b
“You don’t have to go, you know.” Jorge said worriedly to MJ.“I am going; Carmen invited me.” MJ said while applying a maroon lipstick on her lips. "The least I can do is honour her invitation." She pouted her lips, making sure that she applied her lipstick well.“But-” Jorge tried to argue, but she cut him off.She turned around to face him. “Jorge, we are the Billings, and we don’t-”“Disappoint.” He heaved a sigh and finished off for her.They were currently in MJ’s room, preparing for Logan and Carmen’s engagement party. MJ was wearing a long maroon cocktail dress that reached her toes, and white heels, and tied her curly hair to the side.Jorge, on the other hand, was wearing black skinny jeans, a black shirt, and a grey jacket.“Ready?” Anita peeked through the door, grabbing both their atten
The next morning was different. The Billings' residence felt cold with silence and tension. No one knew what to say. Everyone had to be careful of what they said. They were all currently seated in the kitchen with the exception of MJ."Mm…Jameson, since you are working now and earn better, you can build me a house like this, just to have a kitchen like this one." Antonina said, trying to break the silence. Jorge's house was very huge; it was a double story beach house. They had a sitting room, a lounge, a dining room, a very spacious kitchen that could accommodate the entire royal family and still leave enough space for movement.“Sure, Ants.” Jameson replied quietly.“Jorge, did you get any sleep at all?” Reina asked.Everyone could see that Jorge had not slept at all. He spent the rest of his night, or rather a morning, going through his CCTV footage. Anita had found him sitting in his office, stari
“Shannon!” Reina scolded in the background, but Shannon just laughed.“Haha, you are such a wimp!” Shannon’s laughter boomed through the phone and Jorge closed his eyes.“Oh! Jorge, please don’t mind her; she’s a bit high right now.” Reina said. “MJ is home, she just needs some rest.” She said tiredly, and Jorge sighed in relief.“Thank you, Reina. I’m on my way!” He hung up and was about to leave when Logan stopped him.“Hey, what’s going on?” Logan asked.“May is at home!” Jorge said impatiently.“I’m coming with you.” Logan said tiredly.“No!” Doctor Becker and Jorge answered in unison as if trying to hide something, taking Logan by surprise.Doctor Becker cleared her throat and continued, “Miss Smith needs some rest; a lot of res
Jorge rushed into the hospital and increased his pace as he approached the reception desk, his heart hammering hard against his chest as he imagined all sorts of outcomes. “Hi!” He greeted breathlessly. “My name is Jorge Billings; I’m here to see Miss Smith!” He said anxiously.The receptionist nodded and typed on the computer, and then she fixed her glasses and looked up with a small smile. "Mr Billings, please follow me." She left the desk and led him through a long passage. The sight of nurses and patients and the smell of the hospital made Jorge feel uneasy. Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital was a place that held some bad memories for him and MJ.This was the place where his sister was born, the same place where he was told that his mother had died when he was seven, the same place where he first held his sister in his arms.As if sensing his tension, the woman spoke up. “Your mom was such a ni
“I can’t do this anymore, Thuso. The wait is killing me.” Logan said and sat up from his office couch. He was still in the same clothes he had worn the previous day after work; black tracksuits. He had slept in his office at Parker’s Enterprises after another fight with Carmen. “It has been over 36 hours, that’s a day and a half. That’s almost two flipping days, and there’s still no sign of her.” He said with a broken voice. His eyes were puffy and he looked drained. “I don’t know what to do anymore, I feel like I’m losing my mind!” He growled and pulled on his hair.“We will find her, boss.” Thuso reassured him.“When?” Logan laughed bitterly and stood up. “Maybe this is my punishment. I should have told her the truth. Now she is still out there, probably being tortured and…” He trailed off and held his head.“Logan, y
Logan Parker did not want to hear anything at all. He did not want to listen to anyone. All that he wanted was to find MJ before anything could happen to her. It had not been long since her kidnapping, so chances were that the kidnappers were still around. They could not have gone that far since the police were contacted immediately and we're currently searching for the car.Logan suspected that the same person that tried to run MJ over was the same person that kidnapped her. His main lead now was the tinted car that was spotted on the CCTV footage, but it was not enough. Jorge had told him that May was missing and that she was kidnapped from Sonya’s apartment. His story was not convincing, but Logan decided to use what he had.Being a man of power and authority, Logan Parker managed to get SAPS to set roadblocks as soon as possible. All roads were blocked. From entrances and exit points of Cape Town and Western Cape to harbours and airports.
“Hey, Anita! It is Jorge again. I was just checking if you had heard anything from MJ. Please call me as soon as you get this message…” Jorge said into the phone. His hair was wet and he looked like he just got out of the shower. He was wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt, which was tight around his body, and the sleeves were neatly rolled up, giving his big and fancy watch a better view."Hey, Jorge!" Anita and the Dos Santos women budged into the house with a handful of shopping bags. He sighed in relief and walked towards them. "Wow! You should never go shopping with these two; they made us go from door to door." She sighed tiredly as she placed her bags down, and then she plopped down on the couch and took off her heels.“What the hell happened to your phone? I’ve been calling you all day long!” He shouted, frustrated.Anita sat up straight, and the two women who were busy mingling stopped what they were