Lola did not know what was worse. Her younger sister's depression, her husband's disappearance, Logan Parker's ignorance, or Sonya's unnerving calls and voicemails. It felt as if she carried the weight of the earth on her shoulders.
Shannon was always locked up in her room, and when Lola got the chance to see her; all Shannon did was ramble on about how she shouldn't have been there. On the other hand, her husband was yet to show up after they called him to inform him about his cousin's accident; and as for the said cousin, she did not want anyone to see her at the hospital, and now her entire family was here, demanding for answers.
Then there was Sonya who kept calling in a frenzy. After Logan fired her, she seemed to be on edge; her messages were either filled with threats or desperate cries. She was overly sensitive and emotional, and Lola had enough problems dealing with her own husband's dysfunctional family. A
She laid her head against the steering wheel and let the silent night comfort her.What was she doing? What was she thinking?Maybe she should not have gone to see Logan. Perhaps it was time to let him go and try to work things out with her husband, hopefully it was not too late to save their marriage.She loved Logan. Perhaps not romantically, but still, she loved him; she was addicted to him in a way that made her choices seem unhealthy. She could not think of the times she spent obsessing over who he dated and whether they were good enough for him; she had done it to almost all the women he had dated. All but MJ Billings.Every time it came to her, it was as if her magical touch lost its powers. Logan did not want to hear anything about MJ, let it be good or bad; she did not understand whether it was from pain or discomfort, or perhaps because he still loved h
The sun rose and set, stars glistened in the sky and disappeared, and days and nights passed, but she remained limp and unconscious on her bed.Cool air surged around the room as the fan howled heavily on the chair, pointed towards the bed; and a bowl of cold water sat on the headboard.An older African woman with tanned skin sat at the edge of the bed with a wet cloth clutched in her hand as she glazed down at the pale figure lying on the bed.MJ laid unconscious on the bed, with a bandage wrapped around her head. Her chest rose as she breathed steadily. She had been changed into a set of printed pyjamas, and half her body was covered in bed sheets."What if she never wakes up, Sandra?" A panicked voice asked. "It's been two days.""Then we will have two funerals." Sandra Cooper answered without missing a heartbeat, and cold silence se
She knew she would not hear the end of it from her neighbours and Mr Brown tomorrow morning, because her apartment had become a source of noise and disturbance in the entire building. People were going in and out, and some even banged on the door late at night, disturbing the people's sleep.Thankfully, she would be leaving for New Zealand in two days, bringing the people back their sense of peace. She sighed loudly as she pulled the door wide open and stared at the woman in front of her door with a confused expression."Can I come in?" Lola asked.Sonya lifted her chin, looking defiant. "Why should I let you in?""I had no one else to go to." She sighed and stepped aside. Lola walked in barefoot, her face stained with dry tears.Sonya closed the door and stood against it with her arms crossed. "Do you need some alcohol to numb the pain
Black.The colour of coal.The colour of night.The colour of pain. Darkness.The very same colour that tore them apart. And today, it was the colour she wore right before his memorial service.She crouched down beside the vanity, staring blankly at the wedding pictures that littered the top. Now that she thought about it, their love story was scandalous; a young, black, Zulu woman who ran off with a white man during the apartheid regime.Her peers were not happy, the remaining of her family were disappointed. But none of that mattered. She was n love with the man, and he loved her just as equally if not more.They moved settled in England in 2000 after travelling the world together, and they lived as happily as any people in love did. But it was not all gold; his family despised her
"I don't think that woman likes me." Logan wondered as his eyes skimmed across the huge hall.The memorial service was held at one of the biggest halls in London, and the place was already piling up with people. The place was packed with mainly businessmen and women from all around the world, board members from all Billings Corporations branches, workers, family members, and friends.Logan watched as Sandra and Olufe welcomed people at the entrance. His eyes kept shifting to the door, expecting to see MJ."Do you think she's going to show up?" Antonina asked, noticing the strained look on his face.Logan sighed. "I hope she comes."At the entrance, every "sorry for your loss", "our sincered condolences", and "He was a good man"; felt like a cold blow to Sandra Cooper. Minute by minute, it felt difficult to stand there and not lose herse
The first thing that occurred to MJ when she stepped into the room, was how packed it was; and then the first thing she thought when she spoke, was how every single person was looking at her. But the moment her eyes landed on the casket sitting at the podium, everyone and everything else disappeared, and she found her feet taking her to the front.She stood in front of the casket with her back turned against the crowd, and placed her palm on top. A flash of the murder hit her sight and a gunshot echoed in her ears, causing her to grip the casket for dear life. She closed her eyes and released a sharp breath. "I stood outside this building for more than an hour and stared at the stars, hoping that they hear my call. I stood out there and listened to all of you talk about what a good man Alastair Cooper was. But the truth is, your words mean nothing." A chorus of whispers rose, and people started shifting in their seats; but MJ did not pay atte
"Did you speak to her?" Antonina asked the moment Logan walked into the room.The hall was almost chaotic as people were starting to leave. Antonina felt out of place since she did not know anyone except for her companion and business partner, Logan Parker. She only caught a glimpse of Jorge and MJ, but never got a chance to speak to either one of them.Both she and Logan were rendered speechless by MJ's words of remembrance. They did not know much of her story, Logan had since lost interest in anything related to MJ, up until she spoke.Antonina could see the conflict in his eyes as he tried to remain still. He was fidgety and kept playing with MJ's watch in his hand while trying to get a glimpse of her face as she spoke with her back turned against the guests. Antonina had to hold his hand down to keep him still, as Sandra was giving him a suspicious look.
MJ could not remember the last time she came to this house. She did not remember whether it was before Alastair adopted her or after she started the business; but she could never forget the house that was once her shelter.The old, brick-layered mansion still stood out amongst the beauty of the social elites of London, its red-tiled roof giving it a classic look. The yard was bare of any vehicles, it was free of plants or lawn, and the place that was once a pool, was replaced by an ugly fountain and a mini garden after one kid almost drowned.The interior of the house was modern and yet traditional, filled with imported accessories from South Africa and Nigeria. The couch in the sitting room resembled the skin of a leopard, and the pale walls were decorated with traditional, seamed mats and other Zulu and Tsonga gears.The walls along the staircase were decorated with pictures of every sin
Everyone had a different opinion on what the greatest moments in life are. From someone reaching a certain, graduations, having a first child, getting married, or buying a new car... Those were great achievements if one came from nothing, but that was never the case for her.She came from a well-off family, she never lacked anything, and by the time she reached the age of eighteen, she had already begun paving her own path in the world.The greatness she had come to embrace, was standing tall in front of her enemies, with the knowledge that she would ruin them. Samantha Grayson loved the thrill, the threats, the blood, and the chase; and nothing excited her more than facing new challenges.She always wondered what it was about Cape Town that had Jorge running home every other week besides the skirt he left behind, but after finding out about MJ's kidnapping and recent events, she knew she wanted to see it for herself.
Logan thought he knew what had gone wrong, but as each day passed, he ran out of ideas of what might have happened. But from the way Cameron had urged him to investigate the matter, he was keeping himself under control from bursting out in anger.He had thought of all possible reasons why MJ ended up in hospital that night, but no one backed him up. He remembered that Reina and Jorge were there that night; he tried to talk to them then, but they did not give him answers.Everyone was telling him that it would be better if he asked MJ himself, but after everything she put him through, he did not want to speak to her or see her ever again. And if it were not for his brother's persistence, he would not have reached out to her, especially after she was openly hostile when he called her.He could still remember how her voice reverberated with hatred when she asked him where he had gotten
After the cryptic message she received the other night, Sasha was never able to sleep again. She spent all night trying to imagine what could be in store for her, and every time she closed her eyes, she saw MJ damaging her face.By the time her alarm rang the following, she was exhausted; the only thing she remembered about that morning was saying goodbye to Demi.She remembered going to Beaufort West in a meter taxi, to the address provided by MJ Billings, and she remembered finding the house and someone opening the door for her, and that was it. She had no memory of the person or how she ended up in the house, she just woke up and found herself tied to a chair drilled in a deep, empty pool located in what looked like an underground parking lot.Her clothes were taken off, and she was left in only her underwear.The place was cold, there was no heat coming
MJ knew she never made the best decisions under rage, but that never stopped her.The anger was nothing new to her, but the pain that came with it was brutal. She thought she had played Logan, that she had the upper hand all this time, while she was the one who fell straight into his trap.He used her most vulnerable side to deceive her, because he knew her past would always haunt her.She wondered what he would do if he knew the rest of the story, she remembered telling Blair how she feared how Logan would look at her once he knew her darkest truths, but now she was more worried about what he would do instead; would he device another plan to deceive her?The first thought after leaving that restaurant was to call Blair and tell her what happened, but she did not want to feel vulnerable again and find herself confessing things she feared to admit even to he
As much as Logan had anticipated seeing MJ Billings again, he did not expect it to be so soon, especially after their last conversation on the phone. He was convinced that it would take months and a miracle for her to make another stop in Cape Town, and he was okay with that.He knew she was back over a week ago, but thought it best to stay out of the way, because he feared that she would catch on to the guilt in his eyes.The day she walked into his office with Sonya marked a beginning of a new era in his life, one too many times he was convinced that perhaps they could look past their differences and their past and start afresh, he believed they could be happy. But if their issues remained unresolved, they would never move forward.It was even worse now with the mess his sister got him into, not to mention that he led to Jorge's attack.He could see that it was
The last thing Logan needed at this point was to interact with other humans. Antonina respected that even though be was in her home, but his brother on the other hand did not understand what it meant to give someone some space.Antonina left early in the morning to get the café ready for its opening day, while Logan decided to go to work late, he was not even ready yet.It had not even been twenty-four hours since their movie night, and Logan was not ready to face him again.The first time he saw that footage, he was devastated, he felt hurt and betrayed. He still wished he had not opened that video after Jackson gave him that memory stick, but curiosity got the best of him.Antonina's house was the best hideout, no one knew he was there and no one would ever guess that he was there. At least that was what he thought until Cameron showed up on his doorstep
Logan arrived in his home tired. It was around 8p.m., he had made sure that he was the last one to leave the office especially since it was spring and days were longer. He always left his office at 7p.m. when the sun set.Nodding at the butler as a form of greeting, he entered his house and walked to his sitting room, and his steps faltered as he took in the picture in front of him, and his blood boiled. Dirty dishes were on the coffee table, unfinished food and food crumbs covered his table. There were dirty socks on the large couch and empty cans covered the floor. "CAMERON!" He barked as he took heavy steps up the stairs.He dropped his suitcase and jacket on his bed before he strolled out of his room to continue the search for his brother. "CAMERON!" He barked and pushed Cameron's door harshly, causing it to bang against the wall, and then he froze at the door, pursing his lips together. Cameron jumped out
The place was quiet.Too quiet for her comfort.She tried to open her eyes, but something restricted her from doing so. She had been blindfolded. She tried to move, but her arms and legs were bound.She tried to think of a solution, but nothing came up. For the first time in her life, she felt stupid. She felt useless.All her life, she had proven to be able by herself. She had proven that she did not need anyone to achieve her goals, neither did she need anyone to come to her rescue, especially men. However, on the contrary, it was quite the opposite. "Jorge!" She whispered, her voice inaudible from fear.She took a deep breath, the smell of urine and dirty water hitting her nostrils and causing her to cringe and choke on her saliva. She coughed, the process not helping at all as she tried to stabilize her breaths. Oh, Jorge! Whe
As usual, Parker's Enterprises was busy. The ground floor was packed with employees moving up and down. Mosetsana and Natalia stood behind the reception desk, but had a new companion. It was a young looking coloured girl, probably around 20. She had shoulder-length black hair and big brown eyes. Unlike the two other women, she was very active and fast, and spoke too much. First day at work, and Natalia and Mosetsana were already tired of hearing her stories. "I'm just gonna take these to Mr Parker." She said hastily and hurried to the elevator.Natalia buried her face in her palms and groaned. "When is this day ending?!" She whined and looked at Mosetsana who just sighed and gave her the tell-me-about-it look."Thank God, it's lunch time." Mosetsana said and started packing her things. Natalia just sighed and nodded. She placed her elbow on the desk and leaned against her arm, staring at the door boringly as some of her col